The Art of Fabrication
by Nine1991
Summary: Sasuke is an undercover nin working under the guise of Uzumaki Naruto's bodyguard. When treachery is your job, and lies are created upon lies. Is it possible then, to create a bond strong enough to withstand it all? SasuNaru
1. Missions and First Appearances

**Author's Note:** Ah! My third fic. But this is going to be my first multi-chapter and I am going to try my hardest to see its way through to the end. I've been looking through my fics (I know, I know. There's only two, which is pathetic.) and I've noticed that "I'll Come Back" was really out of character. Embarrassingly so. Well, so this is my attempt in trying to write a decent fic with characters that are more true to their original personality. Lets see how I go. And again, this is a fanfic based on the anime/manga "Naruto" and is dedicated to the pairing sasunaru. Enjoy!

**Warning:** YAOI (content may be explicit in later chapters)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

This is an AU fic, but still in the ninja-verse. And this is **NOT** a fem!Naruto fic!

**The Art of Fabrication**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 1: Missions and First Appearances

Not a single sound permeated the still silence. It was dark, dank and completely morose in a way that left tingles running up and down your spine, coaxed the tiny hairs at the back of your neck to stand on end and left you anxious, urging you to peer around your shoulder because you were so sure that something was there – watching, waiting. But, then again, that was the way he liked it. He _liked_ the silence, _liked_ the dark, _liked_ how the atmosphere pressed around him so tightly that he felt as if he'd choke. Well, maybe not _him_ personally, Orochimaru smiled. But it was just so delicious watching his visitors squirm and shake, the way he could practically _see_ their nerves stretching, stretching, _stretching_, before –

His eyes flickered towards the shadows in the corner of the room, where the slight shift in air pressure had been the only sign to indicate that he was no longer alone. "You requested my presence?" the visitor asked, voice emotionless except for that touch of haughtiness that managed to steer his tone into a drawl.

Orochimaru inwardly scoffed. Requested? He had not 'requested', he had ordered. That child was getting too confident of himself, overstepping his mark. No matter, he would soon learn his place. All in due time…

Orochimaru leaned back in his chair, thin fingers that were pale to the point of being ghastly splaying across the armrest in a relaxed, almost lazy manner. "I have a mission for you," he declared.

The figure in the shadows didn't reply, but Orochimaru could almost _feel_ the arrogantly raised eyebrow, a silent enquiry for more information. His eyes narrowed before continuing smoothly, "You are to go to Fire Country, to the village of Konoha. You will find out everything you can about it – its strengths, its weaknesses, everything. I trust you have heard about Kumogakure's(1) failed attempt at conquering the village. I want to know how that was possible. You will be working under the guise of a transferred Suna nin." At this point, Orochimaru pulled out an object from the folds of his robes, before thrusting it in the direction of the shadowed figure. There was a slight glimpse of pale, milky skin as the nin shot out a hand to catch the aforementioned object.

It was a headband, the metal plate bearing the symbol of the hidden village of Suna. It didn't take much for the nin to recognize the dark red speckles amidst the engravings to be dried blood. He looked back to the sinister yellow eyes of his master as he continued.

"You will report back to me regularly. Do you understand?"

The figure tilted his head slightly, regardless of if the gesture could be seen or not. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama," he replied, before turning to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing, Sasuke-kun."

He stopped, his head turned to the side as he waited for the Sannin to continue.

Orochimaru smiled, a smile so evil and sinister that it would have sent any lesser man cowering. "Please do not get caught."

The ninja's lips curled into a sneer, but the only sound he uttered was a quiet 'Hn'.

As the ninja left and Orochimaru was once again left to an empty room, he rose up from his chair and strode gracefully towards the window where moonlight served as the only source of illumination. He looked out upon the village down below, quiet and peaceful in its slumber, acting at such a contradiction to its name – the Village of Sound. His gaze swept past the village, peering into the distance where the curve of the world hid everything beyond his view.

How is it, he thought, as his fingers tightened on the window ledge. How is it that one ninja village can single-handedly hold back the advances of another, not to mention completely obliterate it in the process. So easily, so effortlessly. "Konoha," he hissed, his eyes flashing in the darkness, "What powers do you hold?"

**-LineBreak-**

Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of Konoha's village gates. The towering doors were open, and he would have walked straight through if not for the two Chunins that had approached him the moment he stepped within 50 metres of their beloved village. He was sorely tempted to roll his eyes at the calculating gazes directed at him from the two Leaf nins. Was he supposed to feel intimidated? Well, it wasn't working.

One of the two stepped forward, eyes flickering towards the headband on Sasuke's forehead before starting in a gruff voice, "State your name, position and what business you have here in Konoha."

Sasuke's eyes zoned in on the Chunin talking to him, committing the man's appearance to memory for future references. He was older than him, but by no means old. Probably around his early 20s, and, from the tenseness of his jaw and awkwardness of his stance, not to mention the stark 'newness' of the Chunin vest he was sporting, Sasuke presumed he was a newbie, just newly promoted to his current rank. His eyes bore into the Chunin's and he could tell, with an inward smirk, that the Chunin was probably more intimidated by him then he was supposed to be. "Uchiha Sasuke. Jounin. I've been transferred here from Suna under request from your Hokage. I believe she is expecting me?" He raised an eyebrow arrogantly, daring them to question his reason.

The Chunin stepped back, eyes meeting his partner's briefly in silent discussion before seemingly coming to an agreement. He nodded to Sasuke, "Of course. We will escort you to the Hokage tower." He turned around and proceeded to walk, a silent indication for Sasuke to follow.

As all three of them entered Konoha, Sasuke took to discretely observing the village around him. It was nothing special, not grand or rich to the point of breathtaking or ominous in anyway that would decree it to be a deadly ninja village. Rather, everything seemed peaceful and contentedly serene. _Sickeningly so_, Sasuke thought. _Like a scene from a frickin' fairytale book._ There was nothing that indicated that Konoha was deserving of the way the other villages would whisper its name in fear, the way it was known to be one of the most powerful ninja villages in all the countries combined. Sure, it was prosperous. But only comfortably so.

As they delved deeper into the village, Sasuke was vaguely aware of the attention he was drawing. Mostly, to his disgust, from the female part of the population. They whispered as he walked past, giggled to each other in high pitched voices that made him want to grind his teeth together in annoyance. He ignored them, something he learned to do from a very young age. After all, to pay any attention was to encourage, and god forbid they (the rabid female population) were bad enough without any encouragement to fuel their actions.

They walked towards the looming tower that, no doubt, was the Hokage tower. Upon entering the tower and climbing up the numerous amounts of staircases, the three-man-group came to a stop in front of a set of oak doors flanked by two Jounins. The Chunin who had interrogated Sasuke walked up to one of the Jounin, whispered something into his ear before, with a contemplative look in Sasuke's direction and a curt nod at the Chunin, the Jounin disappeared through the oak doors, no doubt to inform their Hokage of his arrival.

**-LineBreak-**

Tsunade had been procrastinating again, taking rhythmic sips from the sake bottle hidden beneath her table as she stared at the paperwork in front of her. Staring, but not reading. She had to at least look like she was working. After all, it would not do for any of Konoha's residents to walk in on their village leader shirking her civic duties. It would also not do for the village leader to lose her supply of sake due to the hands of her own assistant once said assistant finds her not doing her paperwork. Tsunade smirked as she took another deep sip of sake. Yes, she was smart. Very smart.

A faint knocking from the doors caused Tsunade to jump slightly, almost spilling her precious sake in her haste to hide the bottle from view. As a Jounin stepped into the room, she straightened up and glared at him, as if showing disgruntlement for being disrupted from the many documents she was "reading" through. The Jounin tilted his head slightly in the correct manner of respect, before saying, "Hokage-sama. There is a Jounin from Suna here to see you. He says that you are expecting hi-"

"Yes, yes, send him in," Tsunade said, with a lazy wave of her hand as she reclined back in her seat, acting every bit the fearsome village leader if it weren't for the wet patches of sake across her top. The Jounin disappeared through the doors, only to have a young dark haired man enter mere seconds later. She stared at him, amber eyes narrowed speculatively.

When Uchiha Sasuke had entered the Hokage's office, he had been surprised (though he did not show it) at seeing the person behind the desk. From his research, he had known that Konoha's Hokage was a woman, and a powerful one at that, being one of the three Legendary Sannin. He also knew that she was a renowned medic-nin, the best in all of Fire Country and possibly all the other countries as well. But this woman, this ample breasted female who sat lazily in her chair and, if his nose and eyes were not deceiving him, enjoyed drinking copious amounts of sake during her work, was not what he had expected of the leader of the almighty village of Konoha. Still, he found himself tempted to fidget as he was faced with her sharp gaze. She was analyzing him, he could tell. Sizing him up, seeing if he was worthy for…what he did not know. And it took all of his pride to stare her down, because he'd be damned if an Uchiha was deemed unworthy of anything.

"You are Uchiha Sasuke?" she asked, eyes not once leaving his.

"Yes," he replied, making sure to keep his voice emotionless.

"You are a ninja of Suna."

It wasn't really a question, but he felt obligated to answer anyway. "Yes," he grunted.

"You are a Jounin."

And at this he felt the urge to roll his eyes. Wasn't it pretty damn obvious he was a Jounin from the vest he was wearing? "Yes."

"How old are you, boy?" she drawled, leaning forward in her chair as if the new position would allow her better hearing of his answer.

"Seventeen."

A golden brow rose at his answer. "Impressive," she mused, before chuckling silently as she muttered to herself, "Naruto's going to have a fit." She cleared her throat and recovered her composure, her voice turning brisk as she addressed Sasuke once again. "Uchiha Sasuke. Your job is to be a bodyguard for one of my subordinates. His name is Uzumaki-"

_Crash!!!_

Both heads turned simultaneously just in time to catch a glimpse of a yellow blur zooming into the room. And it was…cackling?! The blur – and Sasuke now realized that it was actually a person – rushed through the office before screeching to a stop behind the form of the Hokage, just in time for the doors to crash open a second time, signaling the entrance of an angry Jounin. The Jounin was red in the face, all stony composure (that was the norm for all ninjas of high ranking) lost as he seemed intent on chasing the blur that was currently shaking behind the Hokage.

Tsunade frowned, her glare piercing. "What is the meaning of this!" she snapped.

The Jounin, who had seemed to finally realize that he had, in fact, just barged into the Hokage's office while she was in the middle of a discussion with a guest, stood poker straight before bowing down low. "My apologies, Tsunade-sama," he said, still wheezing slightly from the chase, "But I am under orders from the elders to take in Uzumaki Naruto for punishment." Sasuke's ears perked at the name. Uzumaki? So this was the person he was assigned to.

The Hokage let out a deep sigh, fingers tiredly rubbing her temples. "What has the brat done this time?"

The Jounin fidgeted slightly, before coughing lightly into his hand, seemingly reluctant to depart with the information. Sasuke's eyebrows raised at the dash of pink across the Jounin's cheeks and ears. Was the man blushing!? "It was…um…that jutsu of his. He turned into…well..." the Jounin muttered, turning redder and redder as he went on.

Tsunade, taking pity on the poor man, cut him off. "Fine, fine. Tell the elders that I'll take care of it. He'll receive a fitting punishment, rest assured." She waved him away and the Jounin left, but not before Sasuke was able to hear a very relieved sigh.

The door closed with a gentle _click_ and Sasuke was once again left to the company of the Hokage…and the yellow bundle behind her. Tsunade's lips pursed, eyes closed as if scooping up every ounce of patience she had left, before opening her eyes again, swiveling her chair to the side and (Sasuke vaguely noticed that the figure had been shaking, not out of fear as he had first thought, but out of suppressed laughter) delivering a powerful punch on the head of aforementioned blond bundle.

"Itai!" the figure screeched, standing up straight as she caressed her bruised scalp. And now that the person wasn't huddled behind the Hokage's chair, Sasuke could see that it was a girl, a girl with long blond hair tied in two pigtails, big boobs, a tiny waist and long slim legs, all encased in a risqué orange bikini that failed to cover much of anything. Sasuke vaguely wondered how she was able to stand without the weight of her breasts causing her to keel over or without her suffering severe excruciating back pains at the very least.

His face remained indifferent as the girl turned simpering eyes towards him, finally realizing that she and the Hokage were not the only occupants of the room. She smiled coyly, mischief glinting in her blue eyes as she sauntered over to Sasuke. Sasuke inwardly groaned. Great, that's just what he needed. To be assigned to some dumb, ditzy blond who'd use his position as bodyguard to hang all over him.

She grinned when she reached him, flashing her pearly whites as she placed a dainty hand on his shoulder. Sasuke stiffened, glaring daggers at the blond in front of him, daring her to take it one step further and, if she did, guaranteeing overwhelming amounts of pain. But it seemed the blond didn't get his silent message (or was incredibly stupid) for she started reaching out a hand towards his face. Started, that is.

Quick as a flash, the dainty hand was encased in a vice-like grip as Sasuke bore down on the blond. "I would appreciate it," he gritted out, "If you refrained from touching me." And with that, he shoved the hand (and the girl attached to it) away from him. The girl staggered, catching her balance before standing straight, looking at him with wide eyes. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Oh great. She's probably going to start crying now. He stood back, fully expecting her to breakdown in tears and start pouting all over the place at his harsh rejection.

What he didn't expect, however, was to be on the receiving end of a glare almost as harsh as his own. "What…the…hell," the girl growled out, and Sasuke felt his eyebrows rise for about the tenth time that day, "Got shoved up your ass this morning!" Sasuke looked on in interest. This was not the reaction he was expecting. No girl, heck, no one had ever talked to him like that before.

What came next though, even his stiff composure could not stop his eyebrows from shooting into his hairline. There was a soft _Poof!_ as smoke erupted around the girl, and when it cleared, what was left in her place was her male counterpart. Though slightly short, the figure standing amidst the disappearing smoke was most definitely a boy – a boy with blond spiky hair and intense blue eyes that flashed with annoyance as apposed to the coy mischievousness that was there before. And one definitely could not miss the garish orange jumpsuit that had replaced the bikini.

The girl-newly-turned-boy peered at Sasuke through narrowed eyes, lips curled into a sneer. "And what the hell is _wrong_ with you," he grunted, expression a mix between annoyance and genuine confusion as he stared at Sasuke as if, if he stared hard enough, he would be able to figure Sasuke out.

The blonde boy's eyes lit up, like he had finally discovered the answer to a very hard conundrum. "Ah!" he declared, and Sasuke felt a strange feeling of foreboding. The blond looked at him smack in the eyes, lips tilted into a lopsided grin, before asking in a voice laced with smugness, "Are you gay or something?"

- TBC -

**-LineBreak-**

(1). Kumogakure: The Hidden Village of Cloud – basically, it's the village of the ninja that tried to kidnap Hinata when she was younger (in the manga/anime).

Please review! I know that it's probably much easier to just click the 'Back' button and move on to another fic, but I truly appreciate every little bit of feedback I get. Constructive criticism is very much welcomed. But please, don't be nasty. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the first chapter!

- Nine1991 -


	2. A First Save

**Author's Note:** Here's the second chapter! And thank you for the reviews. It really encourages me to write. Oh, and thanks to **Panther Fire** for reminding me about that. This is my first multi-chapter fic so sometimes I get a little carried away with the overall plot and forget all about the finer details. If anyone finds any other mistakes or has any other queries along the way (or even any helpful pointers for me!), feel free to say so.

**Warning:** YAOI (Rating will go up and content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 2: A First Save

Tsunade had chosen that exact moment to break up their little one-sided conversation, her actions probably fueled by the growing murderous glint in the Uchiha's dark eyes. "Naruto!" she barked, "Don't even think that you're off the hook, brat! What the hell did you do this time to have the elders baying for your blood?"

Naruto turned, hand rubbing the back of his head as he smiled sheepishly. "Heh heh. About that…well…you see…" At seeing the rapid clenching of Tsunade's fists, he plowed on rapidly, "I used the Oroike-no-jutsu on the elders while they were in a meeting." He grimaced, eyes shut tight, waiting for the inevitable blow that was sure to follow.

A momentary bout of silence. Then –

"WHAT!?" Tsunade screeched. The vein in her temple throbbing as she rose abruptly from her chair. Naruto peeked through an eyelid, wondering if he was in the all-clear before there was a loud THWACK! sound and he was sent _careening_ through the air, only to crash into the opposite wall, at which he slid down, slowly, limbs twitching. Tsunade collapsed back into her chair, rubbing her temples vigorously in a way that seemed as if she wanted to rub the skin straight off. "Damn brat's going to give me an aneurysm one of these days," she grumbled to herself.

Naruto pulled himself up into a sitting position, pouting at the injustice done to his aching body. He didn't know which limb to ease first – every part of him was throbbing with bruises – so he, therefore, chose to sit still.

"As punishment," Tsunade began, ignoring Naruto's indignant squawk of '_What?!_ _Wasn't that punishment enough?!'_ "You are to show Uchiha Sasuke," and at this, she nodded towards the dark-haired shinobi, "Around the village. You will be his personal guide for the day, and I _mean_ the whole day."

Naruto frowned, thrusting a thumb in the direction of the otherwise stoic ninja. "Why the hell do _I_ have to baby-sit that cold bastard?"

"Because," and Naruto was sure he caught a glimpse of a sadistic gleam in the Hokage's eyes, "He is your **bodyguard**, and, quite the contrary, _he_ will be baby-sitting _you_." Naruto gaped, jaw slack as his brain struggled to process the information.

For the next few seconds, there was a bout of blissful silence, and Sasuke felt an acute sense of déjà vu. And if he was right, then –

"WHAT!?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, sorely tempted to ask if he could wait outside, if only to save his eardrums from the constant pressure it was being subjected to.

"Why the hell would I need a bodyguard!?" Naruto screeched, jumping up from his sitting position, bumps and bruises long forgotten.

"Because, brat, you're clumsy. You never watch where you walk. You set off every single trap within a five-mile radius-"

"I can take care of myse-"

"Goddamn it, Naruto! You almost died last week because of your carelessness!"

The blond boy paused in his retort, before clamping his mouth shut with an audible '_snap!'_. He huffed, glaring reproachfully at Sasuke's form. "And what makes you think that he'll be able to guard me?" He eyed the Uchiha. "From the looks of him, he'd probably pull out the moment his nails get tarnished."

Sasuke gave the blond teen a withering look, but chose not to lower himself down to the idiot's level. No, he would not stoop so low as to react to such childish gibes.

Tsunade smirked. "Well," she drawled, "He _is_ a Jounin."

Naruto gawked, sapphire eyes zooming towards the Jounin vest peaking from beneath the dark-haired nin's cloak. A look of outrage crossed his face as he brought up a finger to point at the Uchiha. "What the hell!? How come he gets to be a Jounin!? He must be about the same age as me! Those damn elders are holding my promotion back on purpose!"

Naruto jumped as a loud _Bang!_ echoed through the room. The Hokage had brought a fist down onto the table, her amber eyes glinting dangerously. "Well playing juvenile pranks on them is NOT going to hasten the process, now, is it?" she gritted out. Naruto glared down at his feet, jaw clenched and expression not unlike that of a child who had just been berated by an angry parent. Tsunade closed her eyes before sighing deeply. "You may leave," she said simply.

The blond teen huffed before proceeding to stomp towards the doors and out the office. Sasuke, who had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal, made a move to follow, but stopped at the Hokage's voice. "Not you, Uchiha. Before you go, I'd like to have a little talk with you first."

Sasuke complied, turning around as he gave the Hokage his full attention. His expression was blank, and Tsunade vaguely marveled at his reserved composure. Now, if only some of that composure would rub off on a certain blond troublemaker…

Amber eyes met obsidian as Tsunade's expression turned stern. "Now, Uchiha, here's what I want you to do…"

**-LineBreak-**

Naruto was mad. No, not mad. He was _furious_. How dare that old hag assign him a bodyguard!? It wasn't like he couldn't take care of himself. He was still alive, wasn't he? He completed his missions flawlessly didn't he? Naruto fumed all the way to the ramen stand, the glares he received from the villagers along the way went unheeded. "Well, if that bastard's such a great Jounin, he can show himself around the village," he grumbled under his breath as he marched through the flaps of the shop entrance, made his way over to the counter and plonked himself down onto one of the numerous stools lined along the side. The shop owner smiled at seeing his favourite customer, pausing in his act of drying the dish in his hands as he addressed the moping blond, "The usual, Naruto?"

Naruto managed to pluck up a grin as he replied with a bright "Hai, Oji-san!"

It was five minutes later before a large bowl of steaming hot miso ramen was placed in front of him, and he celebrated by taking a deep breath of the scents wafting from the warm, rich broth. He smiled contentedly as he picked up a pair of chopsticks and prepared to dig in. There was just something about ramen that always managed to lighten up his mood. He shut his eyes in bliss as he took his first mouthful of the succulent noodles. Yes, life was good…very good…

**-LineBreak-**

Sasuke was pissed. And there was no other word to describe it, because he was just simply that – pissed. After leaving the Hokage's office, he had found that his so-called guide had left without him. And he didn't know if it was because the idiot simply hadn't realized that Sasuke was not following close behind, or if he just simply didn't care. Either way, Sasuke would make sure the blond regretted leaving him stranded. Because here Sasuke was, wandering the crowded streets, not exactly sure where he was or where he was supposed to go. And his pride wouldn't allow him to ask for directions either, since he would never willingly show that he needed help. Not to mention that all of a sudden, the village population seemed to suddenly be made primarily of females, and their gazes were getting hungrier and hungrier. No, if he valued his life, he would keep his trap shut and his glare turned on full blast. _And_ his ass off the roads as soon as possible. He would have taken to the roofs, but rationalized that it would be difficult finding such a short idiot with such a high perspective.

'_Where the hell is that moron_,' Sasuke thought to himself, eyes narrowed as he scanned the crowds for any glimpse of blonde or orange. He shouldn't be that hard to spot, for blond didn't seem to be a very common hair colour in Konoha. Throughout the whole day, Sasuke had only managed to spot one other fair-haired person (apart from the Hokage), and their hair had been a shade of platinum, not to mention the person had been a girl.

Sasuke was just about to take a turn and start searching down a different street when he caught a snatch of golden hair and vivid orange at the corner of his eye. He turned to get a clear look, and it only took one glance before he realized that he had found his target. After all, he doubted anyone else would wear such a hideous outfit – and in orange nonetheless! He made his way over to the inconspicuous ramen stand, flipping back the flaps as he entered the shop. The sight that greeted him did not improve his mood whatsoever. '_What the fuck!? While I've been scaling the whole frickin' village, he's been stuffing his gut the whole time!?_' Sasuke fumed.

Because there Naruto was, rapidly inhaling – and Sasuke's eyes subconsciously scaled the mini tower of bowls beside the blond – his seventh bowl of ramen, with several soup marks staining his jacket, causing Sasuke to come to the correct conclusion that the blond had, in fact, been there since right after leaving the Hokage tower. Sasuke strode to the counter, coming to a stop behind the happily slurping form. "**What the hell** do you think you're doing?" he gritted out between clenched teeth.

Naruto didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the Uchiha's sudden appearance. He shot Sasuke a pointed look, "Can't you tell? I'm helping the shop clean their bowls!" He brought the ramen bowl to his lips and slurped up all the rich broth, as if to further prove his point. Sasuke would have given the blond a disgusted look, but at that moment, his eyes were curiously tracing the faint scars along the boy's cheeks. There were three on each side, and positioned in such a way that they reminded him of whiskers. '_Strange…_' Sasuke mused. He wondered how he hadn't noticed them before now.

"Oi! Teme!"

Sasuke's dark eyes snapped towards intense blue ones as he was jerked rudely from his thoughts. Naruto was staring at him, an amused smile on his face. "Falling in love with me already, teme? You know, that's not very professional," the blond remarked, lips pulled back into a cocky grin.

Sasuke sneered. "Hn. I'm not that desperate, usuratonkachi," he retorted, and felt like biting his own tongue the moment the words slipped past his lips. He had reacted to the jibe! He had retorted, like some petulant twelve-year-old, to the childish taunts of an equally childish idiot. What was it about the blond that made him throw all his stoic composure out the window?

"Don't call me that!" Naruto shouted, face furious.

Sasuke only replied with a silent "Hn", his face reverting back to its emotionless mask.

Naruto stood up from his stool, banged some money onto the counter and, with a small wave to the ramen shop owner, stomped out of the shop, with Sasuke trailing silently behind. After about five minutes, and noticing that Sasuke was still following, Naruto twirled around and glared. "Look," he said, voice laced with impatience, "We really don't have to do this."

Sasuke looked bored as he quirked an eyebrow, silently saying 'Yes, in fact, we do.'

Naruto's jaw clenched. "No, we don't. How about…how about we just go our separate ways. You can sit down somewhere, get as many manicures as you want for the next…however-long-your-contract-is. And I'll make sure to keep myself breathing. And you can say that you're doing your job. Because, seriously, your staring at my ass all day is **not** making me comfortable."

The only reply Naruto got was a narrowing of obsidian eyes.

"You know what? Fine!" the blond barked, unaware that he was drawing attention from the surrounding villagers, "You do what you want!" Then a mischievous glint flashed in his blue eyes and he sneered. "But don't expect me to slow down for you." And with that, the blond took off, taking to the roofs and zipping away with a speed only achievable for a ninja.

Sasuke blinked, before cursing under his breath. "That idiot!" he grunted, as he took off after the orange speck in the distance.

**-LineBreak-**

He had been chasing the blond for over three hours now(1), and he had to admit, the blond sure had stamina. Traveling at top speed for so long, even he had to begrudgingly accept that he was getting tired. So the idiot wasn't a complete weakling, he mused. But then again, why would he need a bodyguard?

_**Amber eyes met obsidian as Tsunade's expression turned stern. "Now, Uchiha, here's what I want you to do. I need you to protect him. Naruto is the target of many attacks and assassination attempts around the village." At seeing a flash of interest cross Sasuke's face, she added tightly, "I'm sure you don't need to know the reason why to perform your job appropriately." Sasuke mentally chided himself, realizing he had just committed his first mistake.**_

"_**Of course, Hokage-sama."**_

_**She eyed him, her gaze piercing. "Good. Naruto…Naruto is a competent ninja in his own right. But outside of missions, he is careless and…" her eyes softened, "And he is often oblivious of his surroundings. He's too trusting of the people around him." The Hokage's gaze hardened again as she focused on him. "I need you to be his eyes. Protect him. Keep him alive." She paused. "There will be dire consequences if you fail."**_

_**And at hearing that, for all his stoic composure and all his masks, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine.**_

'_Why_," Sasuke thought, as he focused on the darting orange form some twenty metres in front of him, '_Why are people out for your blood?_'

It was five minutes later before Sasuke noticed that the blond had stopped in front of a slightly rundown apartment building. Looking around, he observed that he seemed to be in the poorer section of the village, and quite a ways away from the busy market square that their chase had started from. He entered the building right after Naruto.

"You don't give up do you?" Sasuke heard the blond grunt from in front of him as they climbed a staircase. Sasuke would have smirked, but realized that there was no point, since the blond wasn't facing him anyway.

Naruto stopped at the fifth floor, where he turned left and made his way down the shabby hallway. He stopped in front of the last door, pulled out a set of keys from the pockets of his pants and gave Sasuke an annoyed look. "Well, I'm home safe and sound now. You gonna give me a goodnight kiss too?" he said snidely, jangling his keys with a limp wrist and a fake swoon. When Sasuke refused to react, Naruto turned back to unlocking his door with a disgusting snort. "Tsk, bastard!" he grunted under his breath.

Finally getting the lock to cooperate, Naruto twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, before taking a step inside. Sasuke made to turn around and take to keeping watch on the roofs, but stopped as he caught sight something at the corner of his eye. The window at the opposite wall had allowed just enough sunlight to filter through…

Sunlight that gleaned over a slim line hovering just above the floor in the middle of the doorway…

The doorway that Naruto was stepping through.

His eyes widened as observations made their way through his mind in quick succession. '_Tripwire…exploding tags…trap. Shit._' He turned around, grabbed a handful of the garish orange jacket and yanked just as his ears picked up a faint sizzling sound and a distinct smell of sulfur assaulted his senses. He pulled the boy to his chest, ignoring the "What the fuck, teme!", and, without a single word, threw himself and the blond to the side and away from the doorway.

KABOOM!!!

The explosion was deafening as the hallways suddenly turned unbearably hot and bits of wood and plaster went flying. When two pairs of eyes looked up, there wasn't much left of the apartment that had been previously there before.

'…_Well…shit…_'

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

(1) No, it doesn't take three hours for Naruto to get home. He took the long way in hopes of losing Sasuke.

How was it? I promise, the story will get juicier as it progresses. I just need to get some character development out of the way. Please review! It helps me feel motivated to write! Thank you!

- Nine1991 -


	3. A Little Appreciation

**Author's Note:** I won't hinder your reading. I'll put the Author's Note at the end for this chapter.

**Warning:** YAOI (Rating will go up and content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 3: A Little Appreciation

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Tsunade drawled, surveying the pair before her with amused eyes. And it truly was a sight indeed. For there before her stood Naruto, garish orange jumpsuit no longer garish due to the fact that it was now practically _brown_, hair matted and messier than usual, its normal golden sheen reduced to a dull shade of mustard, and tanned skin covered in a thick coat of what she could only assume was ash. The Uchiha wasn't in much better shape either, and the Hokage fought to suppress a satisfied smirk at seeing the Jounin try to maintain an air of arrogance whilst looking like a run-of-the-mill homeless boy that had just been plucked off the streets.

"Well…baa-chan," and Naruto had to duck to avoid the paperweight thrown at his head, "Remember that offer you made last month? The one that I turned down?" Tsunade's lips pursed and she raised a golden brow, as if to ask '_What of it?_'

Naruto smiled a blinding smile that proved quite a contrast to his grubby appearance. "Well," he started, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Is the offer still valid?"

Tsunade looked amused. "Of course, brat. You know, if you had agreed in the first place, I probably wouldn't have assigned you a bodyguard."

Naruto's face lit up. "You mean, if I move in, you'd call off the bastard?"

"Too late, brat. The Uchiha stays."

Naruto's face fell.

"Shizune!" Tsunade bellowed, and it was only a few seconds before the Hokage's assistant answered the call and entered the room, replying with a respectful, albeit slightly exasperated "Yes, Hokage-sama?". Sasuke's brows furrowed slightly at the little pink pig trailing beside the dark-haired woman. Was this place always such a zoo?

"Shizune, I want you to prepare one of the guestrooms for the brat. He'll be staying here for a while." Shizune nodded as Tsunade continued, "Oh, and put a bed in the living room as well. His bodyguard will be sleeping there."

Naruto spluttered, "What!? Why!?"

Tsunade gave the blond teen an annoyed look. "Well, he has to sleep somewhere, brat. And besides, the closer he is to where you live, the more efficient he will be in protecting you."

Naruto huffed. "I don't need any goddamn protection! I can take care of myse-"

"We are not having this discussion again, Naruto. Now, _get out_!"

With a childish pout on his face, the blond teen stomped out of the room, Shizune in tow. As Sasuke made to follow his charge, he was halted by the Hokage's sharp voice.

"Not yet, Uchiha. I want to know what happened."

Sasuke's jaw clenched and he sighed. Yes, it was such a very, very long day.

**-LineBreak-**

It was a whole hour before the Uchiha was allowed to leave the Hokage's office, and the moment he stepped through the large oak doors, the first thing he had wanted to do was set his own traps to kill the usuratonkachi himself. He had spent an hour – a whole frickin' hour – telling and retelling the Hokage what had happened, repeating himself over again and again whilst trying to maintain his monotone regardless of the increasing agitation building up within him. A one hour discussion with the Hokage might not have been so frustrating had it been any other ninja, but it so happened that that ninja was Sasuke, and Sasuke, who had never held any love for talking in the first place, hated having to repeat himself even more. It also didn't help that the so-called 'discussion' had turned out to be more of an interrogation than anything, not to mention the increasing feeling of apprehension at seeing the growing murderous glint in the Hokage's hazel eyes when she found out how close Naruto was to being burnt to a crisp. It really made him wonder though, just _how_ close the moron and the Hokage really were.

He had been approached by Shizune the moment he left the office, and she had politely asked if he wanted to be escorted to his room, to which he declined. She had given him the appropriate directions before entering the doors he had just previously exited from, and he almost shuddered, not at all envying her for having to deal with the Hokage while she was in the mood he had left her in.

Sasuke strolled through the corridors quietly, observing and noting the various rooms he walked past. A light timber door with a dark frame…a large door in dark wood, intricately carved…a pretty door with a peculiar shape…a plain door that he could only assume lead to the bathrooms…

And it wasn't until he reached a door that was open ajar did he pull back from his observations, realizing that he had reached his room. He stepped inside, eyes immediately scanning what was to be his new living quarters for the next few months at least. It was nice enough, he grudgingly admitted, glancing over the small, equipped kitchen, the comfortable living room complete with couch and coffee table, and the door to what he could only assume was the bedroom. It resembled a small, but decent apartment, and though he wasn't one hundred percent happy at having to sleep in the living room – and at this point, he eyed the mattress placed neatly in the corner – at least he knew he wouldn't be killing the moron over space.

Sasuke rested his backpack by the makeshift bed, before making his way to the bedroom. He stopped at the door (which was, again, ajar) and leaned against the frame, arms crossed as he surveyed the sight before him.

Naruto was splayed out on the bed, hands tucked behind his head and feet dangling lazily off the side in a way that hinted that he had collapsed on the mattress the moment he had entered the room, and hadn't moved since. He had discarded his jacket, which Sasuke presumed was the lump of orange fabric crumpled in the corner of the room, leaving a black undershirt that showed off lightly muscled arms and a sliver of a toned stomach, all dusted a golden hue. Sasuke had to admit, he was mildly surprised. At seeing the quantity of ramen earlier and the rate at which the blond had scoffed it all down, this was not what he had expected.

"You should at least wash your face you know, if you're not going to get changed. You look like shit." Naruto stated bluntly, as he opened his eyes and turned to look at Sasuke. There was a brief moment where deep blue eyes caught dark obsidian ones, before the edges of the blonde's lips quirked and pulled back into a wide grin.

Sasuke snorted. "Hn. Like you look any better, usuratonkachi. You haven't changed either."

Naruto scowled. "And what the hell am I supposed to change into, huh, bastard? The bed covers?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but stopped when the next sentence spoken wasn't by his own voice.

"Naruto! There you are!"

And Sasuke blinked as a figure rushed straight past him and over to the blond, who scrambled up from the bed abruptly at seeing who it was that had addressed him. "Iruka-sensei!"

The man, once reaching his target, placed both hands on the blonde's shoulders, grip tight. "The Hokage's just informed me! Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" And without waiting for an answer, proceeded to lift each of the blonde's arms, twisting his body this way and that as if searching for any wounds that may be hidden.

Naruto grimaced at being fussed over so openly, glancing at Sasuke over the man's shoulder and glaring at the bemused smirk on the Uchiha's face. Naruto pushed the man – this Iruka-sensei – back gently. "Iruka-sensei, I'm fine. Really. There's not even a scratch on me."

Iruka frowned, his lips pursed. "Still, you should take better care of yourself, Naruto. You might not be so lucky next time. Even though I hope there won't _be_ a next time." He sighed deeply, before finally noticing Sasuke, who had chosen to stand quietly to the side. The man smiled kindly, the large scar across his nose straightening from its comical frown-like curve. "Ah! You must be Uchiha Sasuke. I can't thank you enough for saving Naruto."

Behind Iruka, Naruto pouted, muttering an "I didn't need saving anyway…" under his breath. Sasuke tilted his head politely, acknowledging the man's gratitude, but otherwise didn't reply. He reverted his gaze to the side, his face as expressionless as stone. Seeing the Uchiha act so cold to his teacher, Naruto growled, "You know, the least you could do is say something, you rude bastard."

Iruka laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "Ah. It's okay. I should be going anyway." His expression turned serious again as he gripped Naruto's shoulder firmly. "Take care of yourself, Naruto," he said sternly, before breaking into a gentle smile, "Maybe I can buy you ramen sometime, huh?"

"Yatta!" Naruto cheered, jumping up and down, and Sasuke's lips almost quirked at how childish the blond was acting. Iruka shook his head at the blonde's antics, chuckling as he left the room.

Sasuke smirked.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're smirking at, bastard?!"

**-LineBreak-**

They were looking at him. He could _feel_ their gazes burning into his skin as if, if they stared hard enough, his clothes would disintegrate, piece by piece. And then there were the whispers! They huddled up in groups, gossiping in hushed voices that sounded like annoying buzzing to his ears, but every now and then their comments would up a notch in volume, like they _wanted_ him to hear their mindless adoring praises, probably in hopes of him turning around and reciprocating their admiration of him. Needless to say, not once did he turn around to acknowledge their existence, there was no reciprocation of any kind, and neither did his clothes disintegrate piece by piece. '_Those goddamn females!_' Sasuke fumed silently. He wished that the idiot would just duck into some shop, so he could be in a more secrete environment.

"What are you searching for, usuratonkachi? Your brain?" He fought a grimace as another girl walked past him, winking coyly as she tried to brush shoulders when they crossed. He veered away slightly, making sure no part of her body came into contact with him.

"No, we're going to the Ichiraku's. And stop calling me that, bastard!"

They continued walking for a few minutes, before the blond came to a complete stop – in the middle of the street no less. His face was blank as he looked left, and then right, as if contemplating something. Sasuke was getting increasingly annoyed by the second. They were holding up traffic, and he couldn't maneuver himself to avoid collisions, most of which, peculiarly, were from the female variety. "Are you lost or something, moron?" Sasuke grunted.

Naruto shot him a nasty glare. "No," he snapped, "But we're going to be making a detour first." And with that, the blond turned right and took off, bounding from balcony to balcony and roof to roof.

"Baka," Sasuke growled, very much annoyed as he pursued his charge for the second time that day.

They traveled at a steady pace, leaping, darting and bounding away from the busy market square, and just when Sasuke figured the blond was leading him on another wild goose chase, the streets became increasingly familiar and Sasuke realized where they where and where they were going before they even arrived.

The apartment was ruined beyond possible repair, its walls charred to the point where none of its previous colouring was discernible beneath the shades of black and grey. A crooked sliver of wood hanging askew off the frame was all that remained of the door, and there was a messy hole in the wall that made the entrance to the apartment look more like a circle than a rectangle. Peering inside, he could see that the interior of the apartment was just as completely demolished as its exterior, and he guessed that the people who had set the trap planned, not only to kill the blond, but to entirely obliterate the whole of his residence as well.

Naruto walked ahead of Sasuke and stepped tentatively into the room, and even though it was probably useless trying to prevent further breakage since everything was in pieces on the floor, the blond still took ginger steps, a louder crunch sounding every now and then when he would accidentally land on a larger piece of debris. Sasuke followed, and, after the first few steps of careful foot placement, asked himself why he was dancing around on his toes like an idiot and reverted back to his long, steady strides. Naruto's back seemed to stiffen at the sudden crunches elicited by Sasuke's every step – the sound echoing thunderously throughout the silent room – but returned to its relaxed position a split second later so that Sasuke wasn't sure if his eyes were deceiving him or not.

Naruto slowed down beside a clump of charred fluff and springs, the remains of what must have been a couch a day before. His hands ghosted over the wrecked frame as he walked past, and Sasuke could almost feel the forlorn look that must be on the blonde's face, though he couldn't see it. Naruto remained silent as he stopped walking, back still turned to Sasuke. "Well, I'm glad I wasn't in the explosion," he remarked lightly, "I would hate to know how I'd turn out if I was." There was a moment of silence as no one spoke, and blue eyes continued to survey the remnants of what used to be his home. Naruto cleared his throat loudly. "I think I'll go see if anything's worth salvaging in my room." And he walked into the next room and out of view.

Sasuke crossed his arms, unaware of what to do with himself. He would have leaned against the wall if he wasn't so sure that it would probably give way the moment he put the slightest amount of weight on it. Obsidian eyes scanned the devastated living room, noting the darker patches of colour on the walls that indicated the areas of concentrated heat. They were thorough, he had to admit, whoever had planned the trap. From the patterns on the walls, he guessed that the exploding tags were placed rhythmically throughout the whole apartment. He marveled at the arrangement. The first explosion near the doorway would have set off the tags in the living room, and the resulting explosion from those tags would trigger the tags in the kitchen, and so on and so forth so that the result was a chain reaction and the complete obliteration of Uzumaki Naruto's residence.

The positioning was too complicated, too advanced to be planned by an insignificant local villager. It had to be someone with knowledge on explosives, and an even deeper knowledge in the art of ambush. It had to be a ninja, and it was now that Sasuke fully understood why the Hokage had chosen to assign a transferred shinobi to guard Uzumaki Naruto. Just what exactly had the blond done to deserve such hostility from his fellow shinobi?

Speaking of blond, the idiot was taking way too long scavenging for belongings. There were no sounds coming from the room Naruto had entered, and Sasuke felt just about fed up waiting. His jaw clenched, the thoughts in his mind bouncing back and forth like a ball on a ping-pong table – should he just bear it and wait, or should he remind the idiot that he did not fancy sleeping in a burnt down apartment? Seemingly coming to a conclusion, Sasuke marched to the room the blond had disappeared through, letting out a cough that sounded more like a grunt when his eyes landed on orange and gold.

Naruto was crouched down on the floor, his back to Sasuke, and he seemed to be observing something. He looked around when he heard Sasuke, his expression confused as if asking '_What the hell are you coughing for?_' At seeing Sasuke's irritated look, his mouth opened into an 'o' shape and he abruptly stood up, shoving the object in his hands – Sasuke glimpsed enough to conclude that it was some kind of wooden box with hints of gold – into a rucksack that Sasuke was sure the blond hadn't brought with him on the way there. He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Heh heh. Sorry, teme. Guess I lost track of the time."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It figures," he muttered.

"So…" Naruto started, "Now that I'm done, how about we race to Ichiraku's. You remember the way don't you, teme?" He winked, before jumping out the window and speeding off.

Sasuke cursed, gathered the last vestiges of his patience, and followed suit.

Later on, when Naruto would meet up with Sasuke at Ichiraku's ramen and throw a fit at how '_the teme must have cheated because it certainly wasn't possible that he was beaten fair and square_', Sasuke would notice that the rucksack was missing, as well as the object inside it.

**-LineBreak-**

"Damn it. I still say you cheated."

"Hn."

"There's just no way you could've beat me."

"Hn."

"I mean, you must've run your ass off."

"…"

"…You know, I think you made a lot of new friends today. You and Neji seemed to get on really well. That's a real feat."

Sasuke gave Naruto a pointed look. "We said three words. Two of which were 'hello' and 'goodbye'."

"And your point is?"

"Hn."

"Exactly!"

"…"

"Ino seemed to like you though." A frown. "Actually, so did Sakura. You better stay away from her, bastard! I'm gonna marry her when I become Hokage!"

"You can have her. Though she'll probably be old and wrinkly by the time you're Hokage."

"Shut up!"

Naruto unlocked the door and stepped into his new apartment, Sasuke close behind. It was dark, and it was late, and what had just recently been a busy, bustling village had calmed down to a serene, peaceful silence.

Sasuke walked straight to his bed by the corner, grabbed his pack and took out a pair of neatly folded pajamas. As he took off his vest, followed by his shirt, and proceeded to get changed, a loud clearing of the throat made him pause in his current activity and look up.

Naruto was by the bedroom door, staring at the floor with his stance tense and generally looking like he would rather be anywhere but standing at the door with Sasuke looking at him. He fidgeted, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck in a habit that Sasuke had long ago realized meant that the blond was either embarrassed, nervous or just simply uneasy. "Hey. About…about this morning…you know, the explosion."

Sasuke stared.

Naruto's eyes were flicking all over the place, anywhere it seems, except at Sasuke. "Yeah. Well, I'm happy I'm not dead. You know…if you weren't there and all…"

Sasuke frowned. What the hell was this about?

And, with a great sigh of something that sounded suspiciously like resignation, azure eyes finally connected with obsidian ones. Naruto's hand fell down from its position behind his neck to hang limply at his side. "Thanks." And he bit his lip, as if unsure of what to do next now that he had spit out what he wanted to say.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the two boys just simply stared at each other, neither saying a word. Naruto was the first to break away from the eye-lock, looking to the side and whispering, "Yeah. Well, g'night." The door closed with a gentle click.

Sasuke blinked, silently wondering why he had the sudden urge to smile.

**-LineBreak-**

That night, in the hours of darkness as the whole of Konoha slept on in peaceful slumber, a silent shadow could be seen leaving Uzumaki Naruto's new residence. He supposed, as he quietly crept through the halls of the Hokage Tower, that he should start at the large, dark wooden door with the intricate carvings.

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

Well, what can I say? I am so very very very sorry that I took so long to update. I had some piled up holiday homework that I had to complete, plus with school starting again and all. And Harry Potter came out so I took a few days off to read that. Thank you to all the people who haven't booted me off their story alert list yet. And thank you to all the people who submitted reviews. Actually, the reviews are what pushed me to finish my homework quickly and get back to writing, so thank you for kicking my ass back into work.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. And now that I've got everything organized, I promise that I'll update sooner.

**Please continue to review!** I like to know what you guys think. And if there are any mistakes or questions, feel free to inform/ask me.

Thanks for your support!

- Nine1991 -


	4. One Step Backwards

**Author's Note:** Alright! I'm back! And this is the longest chapter I've written so far. Hope that makes up for the late update! This is for all you guys that have supported me this far, and given me so many wonderful reviews. And special thanks to "ddd", who's reviewed every single of my chapters in this story. You guys are awesome!

**Warning:** YAOI (Rating will go up and content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_ flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 4: One Step Backwards

"-like ramen, you need to wait until the noodle cooks just right and the texture is soft, but not too soft that it's mushy otherwise you won't-"

_Patience._

"-but of course instant or even homemade is nowhere _near_ as good as Ichiraku's because Teuchi has this secret recipe that, for some reason, he won't tell me-"

_Calm down._

"-definitely my favourite. Hey, Sasuke, what's your favourite food? Actually, I don't think I've ever seen you take a liking to anything since you arrived here-"

_I…_

"-think you're the type of person who doesn't like anything just for the sake of not liking anything. I mean, what's the logic in that? Everyone has to like something-"

…_will not…_

"-if you like something then it helps you make friends since someone might like what you like and you might like what they like and the likings might even be mutual so-"

…_strangle him._

"-but I guess you don't need to socialize since you've already got your own group of fangirls and all. Though I really don't know what they see in you, teme, since your personality's crap. I mean, you don't even like ramen-"

_Snap!_

_**Bam!!**_

A pause. Then, "Wow, Sasuke." A low whistle. "Do you usually mark your trees by punching holes in them or are you just really excited? I mean, I know Jiraiya's supposed to be part of the Legendary Sannin or something, but, seriously, he's not that great."

"He can't be if he was stupid enough to accept you as a pupil, usuratonkachi," Sasuke grunted, and continued walking as if he hadn't just manually inserted his fist into the tree behind him. Naruto jogged a little to catch up.

"Tsk. Don't be like that, bastard. And stop calling me that! Do you get off calling people names and insulting them or something-"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked a little faster. He could feel his patience nearing its limit, and, since that had never happened before, he wasn't sure what would happen when the scales finally hit zero. Maybe he'd loose it and murder the blond himself, which would be quite a shame since it would mean a week's worth of bodyguard duty wasted. Not to mention the absolute ruin of his perfect 'completed missions' record. '_Or maybe_,' he thought, as the blonde's annoying voice continued on and on in the background, '_it would be worth it._'

He had thought, following the timid show of gratitude displayed almost a week ago, that his job would be easier once Naruto felt indebted to him. Perhaps there would be less of the childish jibes and name-calling, and maybe there wouldn't be as many two-hour chases around the village. Perhaps they might even become – and he was being very generous here – loose friends in a way. At that point, he had patted himself on the back believing that, by saving the blonde's life, he had just gotten rid of a great number of future possible headaches. It took all of two days before Sasuke felt like kicking himself for falling into a false state of security.

For Naruto, instead of simply cooling down from his hotheadedness like Sasuke had initially planned, had done a full 180 and gone the other extreme. The disgruntlement that had accompanied having Sasuke as company had morphed into something akin to giddy excitement, and it seemed that Sasuke had turned into some sort of potential best friend – if the buddy-buddy antics and rapid-fire questions were any indication. Once, the blond had even tried to drape a playful arm across the Uchiha's shoulders, and Sasuke would have laughed at the fact that the blonde's short height made it awkward and almost impossible if he wasn't trying to refrain from tearing said arm out of its socket. Personal space was something Sasuke had developed an acute liking for since he was a child, and he did not take lightly to having it threatened.

Over the days, the blond had found it fitting to open up more and more (much to Sasuke's chagrin) and the speed of his speech had steadily increased, not to mention the volume. Now, Sasuke had figured that the blond was loud, but _Kami-sama_, was the blond _loud_! The constant chatter and childish bouncing had on many occasions given Sasuke a migraine, and he was beginning to regret saving the idiot in the first place. He was a very accomplished ninja, and well versed in the art of calm, but countless missions had not prepared him for resistance against blond idiots and, as a result, he was wound tighter than a spring. If there was ever an 'Ignoring Blond Nuisances 101', then he sure missed it.

"Sasuke! Oi! Don't space out on me!" An obnoxious tanned hand waved itself vigorously back and forth in front of his eyes, and Sasuke scowled.

He swatted the hand away. "Get out of my face, usuraton-"

A gruff clearing of the throat cut him off, and it was no more than a split second before Sasuke was crouched low in a defensive pose, kunai in hand and ready to throw. _Who…? How come he hadn't sensed any chakra! _Sasuke blinked. In front of him stood some old geezer, leaning lazily against a tree and not looking the least bit perturbed that he had been _this_ close to becoming a kunai cushion. The white-haired man surveyed Sasuke with amused eyes, his arms crossed across his broad chest.

"Ero-Sennin!"

And Sasuke relaxed when he saw the blond bouncing jovially up to the man. So this was the great Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin. No wonder he didn't sense the man's chakra.

The man's eyes switched from Sasuke to the hyper blond in front of him. "Hmph, gaki! Took you long enough to get here."

Naruto's face scrunched as he brought up a hand to point at the Sannin. "Don't you even start! I bet you just arrived yourself! You've been peaking in the women's bathhouse again haven't you?!"

Jiraiya sniffed. "I find it in the kindness of my heart to teach you and all of a sudden you think you know me so well."

Naruto raised a golden brow. "Actually, there's a handprint on your face."

Jiraiya paused, before his expression turned smug and if not a little proud. "So what if I did, gaki! Art should be well appreciated, not hidden behind those horrible wooden fences! I'll have you know, one of them had legs up to he-"

"Shut up, Ero-Sennin!"

"I really don't know where I went wrong with you."

"I'll tell Tsunade baa-chan!"

"Why, you little brat!"

Sasuke chose to ignore the commotion as he settled himself under the shade of a large tree, unwilling to allow his brain cells to deteriorate any further. What little respect he had for the great Jiraiya of the so-called Legendary Sannin had completely disappeared five seconds after the old man had opened his mouth. '_An idiot for an idiot_,' he mused, glancing back at the two squabbling forms. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. If he was going to have to spend the whole day listening to two fools bickering, he might as well get some meditation done.

"Neh, neh! Ero-Sennin! So what are you gonna teach me today?"

A snort. "What makes you think I'm going to teach you anything, gaki?"

"Eehh! Then what the hell are we here for?!"

"To gauge your chakra control."

A pause. Then, "My chakra control's fine."

Jiraiya shrugged. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Naruto sent a reproachful glare Jiraiya's way, before letting out a large huff and plonking himself down on the dirt floor, legs crossed as he ran a hand through his gravity-defying hair. He grumbled, "So what do I have to do?"

The Sannin grinned. "You're going to spar."

"We're going to spar?" Naruto brightened, his eyes lighting up with interest.

"No, _you're_ going to spar."

Naruto frowned, clearly not perceiving the difference between his words and the Sannin's.

"You're going to spar…with your bodyguard."

Sasuke twitched from his spot beneath the tree. _Say what…?_

**-LineBreak-**

He wondered how he got himself into these situations. Was fate that desperate for him to kill the blond and screw up his mission? 'Cause if that was the case, she was doing a great job, the cruel bitch. His fingers twitched as the blonde's annoying whine pierced the air.

"Hey! Ero-Sennin! Where are you going?! How are you gonna check my chakra control if you're not even gonna watch me spar?"

The broad back of Jiraiya never turned, a hand was simply brought up to wave lazily in the air as he walked away. "I have my ways. You better start sparring." And he disappeared, possibly off to stalk some random, innocent, unaware women.

Naruto grumbled under his breath – something about perverted hermits and their sneaky hobbies – as he turned to Sasuke, who was standing approximately 10 metres away from him, stance bored and face expressionless. "So, Sasuke, wanna spar?" he asked, smiling widely.

Sasuke said nothing as he slipped into a fighting stance. It wasn't like he had a choice. Maybe some rogue nins could ambush them after their spar and kill the idiot off, and he'd have an excuse saying that he was just too damn tired from their workout to carry out his job properly. Yeah, he wished. Then he'd probably be slaughtered, gutted and stuffed by that busty Hokage and used to hang as an ornament in her office. He inwardly shuddered. No, that did not sound appealing at all.

Naruto face, if possible, split into an even wider grin at seeing Sasuke acquiesce. "Yosh! I'll kick your ass, Sasuke! By the end of this spar, you'll be begging for mercy 'cause I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Rokudaime!" And, with an entirely too energetic bout of bouncing, the blond fell into a fighting pose, knees bent and fists raised. Sasuke silently noted that it was, by no means, a perfected pose; with gait uneven and weight leaning too much on the right foot to be considered balanced. And with that mischievous smile still firmly in place, Sasuke wondered if the blond was taking this seriously at all. '_Is this a game to him?_' Sasuke thought darkly, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to block an attack.

As he suspected, Naruto made the first move, charging forward with a speed that left grass blades leaning in his wake. But it was still entirely too slow as Sasuke sidestepped the blond, twisting his body just the slightest bit so that Naruto would _just_ miss him. Big actions were unneeded. A good shinobi knows to execute his offensive and defensive moves with the least possible effort to preserve energy. And as the yellow-topped blur zipped pass him, Sasuke observed so many gaping holes in the blonde's defense that, if he had wanted to, he could have executed an attack and ended the spar straight away. But what would be the point in that? If he did so, then he'd probably have to listen to the idiot whinge and whine the whole day, and, frankly, that was something he'd rather avoid. No, it was better to drag it out and get some light exercise.

At seeing his target slip away, Naruto twirled around and skidded to a stop, creating a cloud of dirt behind him. He straightened up, still grinning as if he had expected his tackle to fail all along. Tanned hands were brought up to form a hand seal, an obnoxious shout of "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!", and then there was a _poof!_ as nine more Narutos appeared. Sasuke figured that he should be thankful that Naruto no longer wore his bright orange jumpsuit, otherwise he would've been blinded by the sheer intensity of the colour.

All ten Narutos smirked cockily as twenty fists were brought up, poised to fight. "How do you like that, Sasuke!" a chorus of voices shouted at the same time, and Sasuke suddenly felt a headache coming up. One Naruto was enough, but ten was bound to break his patience. He raised an eyebrow and adjusted his footing. It seems that this time he would have to dish out a few blows. It was at that point that all ten Narutos charged.

Sasuke moved into a flurry of perfectly executed moves. A strong punch in the gut. A smooth swerve of the leg. Neat, graceful acrobatics. And it was with steady _poof!_s of smoke that, ten minutes later, only one Naruto remained. Sasuke stood up from his last low kick, his face still as blank as ever. "Is that all you've got?" he asked simply.

Naruto was still grinning playfully, and Sasuke's temper was beginning to bubble and flare. Was he not being taken seriously? Did the moron think that this was all a game? _Was he not worth the effort?_

"_**You're not even worth killing."**_

"Tsk, of course not! I'll have you know I'm mighty awesome with seals too!"

Sasuke blinked, his eyes focusing back on Naruto. Seeing the proud expression on the blond ninja, Sasuke sneered, "Actions speak louder than words, usuratonkachi."

Naruto huffed, a mild red painting his cheeks. "That was just a warm up! I'll show you what I can do, teme!" And with a familiar hand seal and subsequent puffs of smoke, the forest was filled with a crowd of fifty or so Narutos – all grinning, all confident, and all getting very much on Sasuke's nerves. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. '_What kind of fool would be stupid enough to use the same technique twice in succession?'_

"Let's get started!" A battle cry of sorts before all the Narutos attacked. It was literally raining blond idiots, and for every gentle poof! and small, billowing cloud of smoke as each clone was efficiently eliminated one by one by the Uchiha's superior taijutsu techniques, Sasuke's temper increased like an oxygen-fed flame. Every critical punch he dealt, every fatal kick he delivered, and every shadow clone he dispelled felt like mocking laughter to his ears.

_This is too easy._

A fist smashing into an annoying whiskered face. _Poof!_

_He's not even trying._

Swerve. Crouch. A swipe of the leg and three Narutos tumbled down. _Poof!_

_Why isn't he trying?_

Block. Somersault. An elbow imbedded deep into an orange clad stomach. _Poof!_

_Goddamn it! Why isn't he trying!!_

Sasuke's eyes flashed as he delivered a clean jab to the throat of another clone, the body disappearing in a puff of white smoke. He twisted, his spine forming a clean curve and muscles flexing underneath his shirt as he sprang away from the chaotic crowd, a series of graceful flips putting him a few metres away from the fifteen or so shadow clones that still remained. His hands were swiftly brought up to perform the appropriate hand seals – his fingers practically blurring through the familiar positions – and there was a grunt of "Katon Gokakyu no Jutsu" before the fingers of his right hand formed an 'o' over his lips and a sudden crimson cloud of flames engulfed the mass of Narutos, painting the scenery in hues of black and scarlet. Sasuke's skin tingled from the intenseness of the heat and, for a moment, he felt a pleasant sense of calm at the familiar sensation before the anger deep inside him proceeded to bubble and burn, once again bringing itself to the fore.

Naruto was coughing as he stood, hunched, his hands on his knees as he tried to recover from inhaling so much of the acrid smoke. His shadow clones had all been dispelled by that last attack and, frankly, he was not surprised. That fire jutsu was way cool! Maybe he could get Sasuke to teach him it one day.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was not so delighted. His expression darkened as he saw the edges of the blonde's lips quirk into a smile. '_He's still smiling?_' he thought furiously, '_Why is he still smiling?_' His fingers itched to tear that thoughtful expression from the idiot's face. And it was at that moment that something inside Sasuke snapped.

Naruto let out a surprised grunt when he felt the kick to his abdomen, the hit powerful enough to propel him a couple of metres before his back collided harshly with the hard ground. He groaned as a jolt of pain raced down his spine and his side throbbed. He had barely managed to gather his senses before he felt someone straddle him, locking his arms at his side. A hand roughly gripped a bunch of his hair and Naruto bit his lip to stop from shouting out at being so ruthlessly manhandled. '_What the hell!?_' Bright blue eyes opened dazedly and was met with cold obsidian. But…it was no longer obsidian because, at that moment, Sasuke's eyes were morphing into a brilliant shade of crimson, three comma-like shapes whirling in their midst. Naruto's brows furrowed confusedly. '_Those eyes…_'

Sasuke was livid, an ugly expression marring his pale, aristocratic features. The grip on Naruto's hair tightened and the blond winced as his head was jerked a few inches off the ground. Sasuke leaned forward and snarled, "Do you think this is a game?" His voice was low, and there was a cruel edge to it that Naruto had never heard before. "Do you think I'm playing here?"

Naruto's face flushed with irritation and he wiggled underneath the dark-haired nin. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Sas-" He was cut off when the grip on his hair forcefully crashed his head onto the hard ground, only to be jerked back up once again. Naruto groaned in pain as stars flashed before his eyes.

"Shut up! I don't have time for your childish games." The Uchiha's tone was sharp. Meant to cut. Meant to tear. "You call yourself a ninja?"

Naruto looked up at him with wide eyes. They were just sparring…then…what did he do wrong? He didn't understand.

Sasuke's expression was turning darker and darker by the minute. If the Uchiha had paused to reflect on his actions, he wouldn't have been able to pinpoint just when faint annoyance had turned into raging anger. It was like the heat of a volcano, steadily boiling yet instantly hazardous at the same time. There was just something about the blond that kept getting under his skin – persistently, repeatedly. It was all the goddamn laughter and cheerfulness and for _fuck's sake, did the idiot ever stop smiling_?

The tomoes of the Sharingan swirled a little faster as Sasuke's lips twisted bitterly. "You think you have the time to smile? You should be trying to get stronger!" His grip tightened and Naruto had to bite his tongue to stop from letting out a pained whimper. "And you ask why you need a bodyguard. This is why! You dead last."

"_**Because you're weak."**_

"Because you're weak."

"_**Because you're worthless."**_

"Because you're worthless."

"_**Because…"**_

Sasuke bent forward until Naruto could practically _feel_ the warmth of his breath ghost his cheeks in a weak caress. And when he spoke, his voice was low, guttural, so close to a growl that it was almost inhuman. "You. Are. Pathetic." A shallow breath. "Dobe."

And Sasuke glimpsed pretty blue eyes flashing a violent red before he found himself propelling through the air, and he let out a grunt of pain as his flight was halted by his back meeting the resistance of a stubborn tree trunk. He collapsed into a heap at the foot of the tree, an acute throbbing in his lower chest where a rib was most probably broken and his left shoulder completely numb. Sasuke looked up.

Naruto was slowly getting back on his feet, his head hung forward in a way that obscured his face in shadows. His voice was low as he spoke; no longer bright and cheerful like it had been a mere hour before. "Don't," and his head lifted to reveal intense, darkened blue eyes, "Don't you _dare_ tell me what I am and what I'm not." Tanned fists were clenching and unclenching, like they wanted to grab something, punch something. "And don't," and was it Sasuke's imagination or were the faint scars on the blonde's cheeks getting thicker? "Don't you _ever_ set my priorities for me again." Naruto's expression was almost feral, his teeth bared as he snarled.

Sasuke picked himself up off the ground, ignoring the jarring pain that raced up and down his side like molten lava. He surveyed the blond through narrowed eyes. _This_ Naruto was dangerous. _This_ Naruto intrigued him. He smirked, reveling in the adrenaline rush. "And what if I don't want to stop?" A single dark brow quirked in an antagonizing manner. "What are you going to do, dobe?"

And that was all it took for all hell to break loose. Naruto was at his side within a split second, a punch hitting home, and Sasuke would have landed shoulders first into the hard ground if it weren't for his quick reflexes as he flipped himself upright, his feet sliding across the dirt. A swipe of the hand across the edge of his mouth revealed blood, and he smiled sadistically as adrenaline coursed through his body, making his limbs tingle with sudden energy. He hadn't felt so alive in ages! He flexed his muscles as he prepared to spar.

It was punch for punch, kick for kick. Their limbs blurred as they dished out hit after hit, never relenting, always pushing forward.

"You think I don't see their glares?" Naruto growled, as his leg swung in a wide arc that threatened to crack Sasuke's neck, "You think I don't feel their hate?"

Sasuke ducked before his own fist lashed out in what would have been a powerful punch, only to be blocked. "So you wear a mask. Is that it? Poor dobe." His voice was harsh, mocking. "You must cry yourself to sleep every night."

Naruto's face flushed in anger as he snarled. "This _is_ me, bastard! I wear no fucking mask!" and the blonde's expression turned scornful as he looked Sasuke dead in the eye. "Not everyone wears a mask, you know."

And maybe it was the fact that the blonde's words hit too close to home that made Sasuke see red. The Sharingan swirled at a dizzying rate as the fighting kicked up a notch and the clearing they were fighting in underwent a massive transformation. Trees were battered close to death by powerful kicks that missed their sole target and small craters littered the ground where misdirected chakra-enhanced punches had landed. Their fighting was raw, purely instinctual and completely un-strategic as they sought to pummel each other with their bare hands, as well as any other usable limbs. Jutsus weren't even thought of in the heat of battle, and maybe perhaps that was why Sasuke later found himself backed to a tree, his hands locked at his side and a tanned arm against his throat.

Naruto's eyes were unusually dark as he stared at Sasuke, his gaze seemingly contemplative and calculating, reminding Sasuke of the look the Hokage had given him when he had first stepped into her office. Blue eyes were looking straight into his, and pale, pink lips opened to say something before the blonde's head suddenly snapped to the side. Naruto's gaze narrowed, golden brows pulled into a frown as he seemed to scan the surrounding tree tops, as if he was looking for something. Sasuke felt the pressure on his neck slacken slightly and he chose that moment to reverse their positions.

But it didn't go exactly to plan as Naruto, catching on to what was happening, hooked his leg against Sauke's in an effort to keep him firmly in place, which only resulted in them losing their balance and both tumbling down to the ground. Naruto huffed as he found that he was, once again, beneath the Uchiha, his arms locked at his side in a position that was all too familiar. He turned his head away, and Sasuke noticed the small necklace that had slipped out of the blonde's shirt during their struggle, the aqua stone pendant gleaming in the luminescent moonlight.

Naruto's expression was soft in a way that gave Sasuke the impression that the blond was reminiscing. There was a deep breath before the silence was shattered by Naruto's calm voice. "Do you know what a missing nin is?" and without waiting for an answer, he continued, "A missing nin is a ninja that has deserted their village. They have no one. They have no home, and they're hated by all. People want to get rid of them, because they're seen as pests. Maybe dangerous pests, but pests all the same." A pause. Then, "I know they hate me. The villagers. I come back from a mission and I know that they wish I had died in it. It doesn't matter that I'm loyal to Konoha, and that I do my share to keep it prosperous. If I did break away, they'd probably rejoice and claim it as another reason against me." Naruto bit his lip, his eyes unfocused like he was looking through time and space itself.

Something inside Sasuke ached, and the Jounin mildly wondered if perhaps another rib was fractured higher up.

"I've met many missing nins since I've become a ninja." The blond paused as he wrenched a hand up from his side to touch his forehead protector, tanned fingers ghosting over the insignia. "But in the end, the fact that I wear this doesn't make a goddamn difference." Sapphire-blue orbs peered up at Sasuke through short, golden lashes, supposedly in an act of defiance. "I've seen those missing nins exterminated, and I've cheered with all the rest. But when it comes down to it…" And Sasuke fancied he saw a hint of genuine confusion in those blue depths, "…am I really that different from any of them?"

Silence took over, the end of the question seemed to hang in the air like wisps of vapor above their heads. And for the first time in a long while, Sasuke didn't know how to react. So he did the only thing that came to mind…

…he got up and walked away. Not once looking back. But if he did, he would have seen blue orbs dull in forlorn resignation. And as he continued walking, his shoulders weighed down with heavy burden and unwilling to take up another's, the shadows of the forest under the pale moon seemed to cling to him, lovingly, malevolently.

"_**Because you'll always be my little brother.**_

_**So hate me.**_

_**Fear me.**_

_**Grow stronger.**_

_**Otouto."**_

**-LineBreak-**

Sitting lazily on the branch of a tree above the clearing where the boys had just recently fought, Jiraiya surveyed the scene below him. He watched as Naruto pulled himself up into a standing position, his shoulders slumped and dejected as he proceeded to slowly walk away in the direction the Uchiha had taken. "Well, Tsunade would be happy," he muttered, before jumping out of the branches and landing silently on the ground. He gave the clearing one last sweeping glance before he too strode away under the ethereal moonlight.

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

Hey guys! I'm sorry, the ending was a bit rushed because I really wanted to get this chapter finished, posted, and delivered to you guys by today. Anyway, we're moving house at the moment so I've been a little busy, what with packing up and all. Plus, the telephone company screwed up our system or something, so I haven't got any internet at home until Tuesday. Which means I've been having to depend on the school computers for connection to the net.

I apologize if any of you who've got me on author's alert received more than one email alerting for the previous chapter. There was some kind of glitch with the system or something and the details of the story weren't showing up correctly, so, me being me, I just had to try and fiddle with it, didn't I?! Anyway, I wound up deleting and reposting and for a moment, half of my reviews wouldn't show up so I was paranoid that they all got deleted, especially this really sweet one from **JD01**. Yeah, so for the rest of that day, I was sitting in front of my laptop, pouting and generally looking like someone had died, and my mum even asked me what the hell was wrong!

Ok, back to the story. If you're confused about anything (and I know this chapter might have been a little confusing) feel free to ask, whether through a review or whatever. Also if there are any mistakes, same thing. I'll be sure to reply, since I do check my email for reviews everyday (yes, I'm pathetic like that.). Anyway, let me just say again that you guys are awesome and thanks for all the support so far.

Please review! All comments are welcomed (and needed)!

- Nine1991 -

P.S. to **JD01**: Thank you so much for the sweet review. I'm not quite sure I deserve such a decent praise. I swear, my smile was a mile wide when I read it.


	5. Not Liking What You Wish For

**Author's Note:** Nope, I'm not dead. I promised myself that I wouldn't catch up on anymore fanfic reading until I finished and posted this chapter. So hope you all enjoy!

**Warning:** YAOI (Rating will go up and content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_ flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 5: Not Liking What You Wish For

The liquid rippled and swirled as he guided the spoon around and around, metal scraping ceramic every time the thin spoon handle hugged the rim of the cup, and he lifted it out of the steaming fluid, tapped once, twice, before placing it on the saucer. As two fingers hooked themselves into the handle and the cup was brought to his lips, he inhaled the warm, herbal scent of tea, and his eyes fell shut as he relished the bitter, slightly sweet taste of the liquid slipping past his lips and scalding his tongue. Tea was his wake up call. It was what got him functioning in the morning. Not that he wouldn't be able to carry out his duties efficiently without it, but nevertheless, over the years it had become more or less a habit.

He heard Naruto before he even saw him, recognized the slight shuffling and rustle of cloth that signaled the blond was getting changed, then the muffled thumps of footsteps that preceded the _bang!_ that was the door swinging open on its hinge to crash into the adjacent wall. Naruto, Sasuke came to realize, did everything loudly – including getting up in the morning.

Obsidian eyes slipped open and he gave all pretenses of avidly studying the cup held between his fingers, but out of the corner of his eyes, he focused on the blond as the bleary-eyed shinobi stumbled into the kitchen, tanned hands clumsily securing the ties of his forehead protector in place. When Naruto was sure the knot was secure, he let out one last jaw-creaking yawn, rolled his neck from side to side (Sasuke barely stopped himself from wincing at the distinct cracking sounds), and took a deep breath, blue eyes blinking a couple of times before opening wide as if he had only just realized where he was. Which, Sasuke mused, was probably true. The first ten minutes of Naruto's morning was always conducted through autopilot, and the blond had spent the first few days after moving into the Hokage tower banging into furniture and walls. It had taken a full week before his subconscious was able to memorize where everything was, and he was able to maneuver his way through them efficiently with his eyes half closed in the morning. Not that he was any less quiet even when he wasn't crashing into things.

Naruto was silent as he walked over to the fridge door, yanked it open, and stood for a few seconds contemplating its contents, a hand brought up to rub the back of his neck lazily. Reaching in and pulling out a white carton of milk, Naruto made his way towards the kitchen counter, the refrigerator door swinging shut behind him with a gentle 'click'. Sasuke watched as the blond took out a glass from one of the cabinets, filled it to the brim with milk, before proceeding to drain it in loud, steady gulps. Naruto swiped the back of his hand across his milk-lined lips as he dropped the now empty glass into the sink, the object clattering loudly as it tumbled onto its side.

Picking up the much lighter carton of milk, Naruto cleared his throat noisily, and Sasuke figured it was more to ease himself into the awkward silence rather than any real need to free his airways. "I'll be going to Ichiraku's," Naruto stated simply as he placed the milk back in the refrigerator, "And probably to spar with someone afterwards." He paused, before opening his mouth as if to say something, then pausing again. His jaws snapped shut a split second later and he said nothing else as he returned to his room, only to walk back out a minute later, securing a weapons pouch around his waist.

It had become a routine they'd fallen into. After that fiasco of a spar two weeks ago, there was a distinct awkwardness that had developed between them, and conversation between him and the cheerful blond had been kept to a bare minimum. They rarely talk nowadays, the only few words uttered were usually in the form of Naruto politely informing him of his plans for the day, token courtesy from client to bodyguard. And for some reason, it didn't feel right. It wasn't like the blond to step back and accept someone protecting him. Sasuke had watched Naruto long enough to be able to draw from his observations that the loud ninja hated being protected, hated anything that gave the remotest sign that he was weak. So he had been surprised when, the day after their confrontation, Naruto had made his way to the ramen shop at a sedate pace, not once addressing the Uchiha or giving the slightest inclination that he perceived the other's presence as Sasuke followed not ten metres behind. And the evening following that when they had returned to their room in the Hokage tower, the blonde's attitude towards him had been courteous and distant, not to the point of being cold, but polite as he bid Sasuke goodnight. To say Sasuke was irked would be an understatement.

The sound of a zip being pulled interrupted the uncomfortable silence as Naruto adjusted his chunin vest, tugging at the hem in a pathetic attempt to flatten out the slight wrinkles in the thick fabric. He gave his weapons pouch one last tug to make sure it was on tight, before turning to Sasuke and giving him a small nod. "Well, see you later," Naruto said, and he strode out the front door, as if Sasuke wouldn't be following mere seconds after.

Sasuke watched the blond walk out before calmly getting up from his seat to place his empty cup of tea in the sink. He didn't bother to recheck his weapons and uniform as he had already made sure he was ready to go even before he sat down for tea. He calmly followed in the direction Naruto had just taken.

The blond was acting exactly the way he preferred a client to act – calm, distant and polite. Naruto was neither clingy, nor overtly friendly as he had been before. This, of course, made Sasuke's job a whole lot easier and preserved a lot of the personal space that he thrived on. By all means, Sasuke knew he should be happy, ecstatic, jumping over the moon with how lucky he was.

So imagine his surprise when he realized he hated it.

**-LineBreak-**

The moon shone its pearly white light down upon the quiet village as everyone slept, and no one noticed the shadowy figure flitting silently across the house rooftops. The figure moved swiftly, darting back and forth between ledges and roofs, always sticking to the shadows and staying clear away from the gleaming moonlight, before flipping gracefully off a roof to land, crouched, in the shadow of a quaint, little hut situated at the edges of Konoha's vicinity.

The village gates were shut, as they always were by nightfall. But the figure didn't seem perturbed as he waited patiently in the shadows, eyeing the great wooden doors that were barred shut, flanked by two Chunins at either side. If his sources were correct, then the night shift guard duty turnover would take place any minute. And sure enough, it was barely ten minutes before he sensed the presence of two other ninjas heading his way, not bothering to cloak their chakra in the slightest. It was careless of them, but it's not like he had any reason to complain.

The two new Chunins approached the pair at the gate, and they seemed to know each other for one of them raised a hand lazily in greeting, before stepping away from their post to meet the approaching pair halfway. They engaged in small talk, whispering in hushed voices as they formed a rough circle, one of the Chunins letting out a soft laugh at some joke one of them must have told. It had only taken that split second of ignorance for the figure in the shadows to break into a silent run, scaling the high wall swiftly as the chakra concentrated at the pads of his soles allowed grip on the smooth stone. Step, step, step, and in the blink of an eye, he was at the top, the moon highlighting his pale pallor as he flipped fluidly off the stone wall, landing lightly on the other side just in time to hear the group of Chunins breaking apart so that two of the four could resume their appropriate spots by the gates.

He straightened up, securing the strap of the pack he was carrying around his shoulders as he scanned the dark forest from side to side, before taking off at a brisk pace straight into the densely packed trees outside Konoha's border. It was only a short amount of time later before he reached the edge of a small clearing, the moonlight shining down on its center like a dull beacon.

Sasuke took one step forward, the eerie glow of the moon washing over him as he stepped past the shadow of the overhanging branches and into the open. He paused, his eyes scanning the surrounding forest before stopping at a tight, densely knot clump of trees directly in front of him at the opposite end of the clearing.

"Kabuto," he drawled, "Why don't you come out so we can get this over with? Unlike you, I have a job to get back to."

And it was barely after he had finished his sentence that a man stepped out from behind the trees, a pleasant smile on his face as he surveyed Sasuke from behind rounded spectacles. "Impatient as always, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto remarked, as he pushed the spectacles higher up the bridge of his nose, "One would think you've gotten attached to Konoha-"

"And I had hoped that you would know me by now," Sasuke cut in, his face as set as stone. "I have no attachments."

Kabuto smiled knowingly. "Of course not."

The Uchiha's face darkened for the shortest of moments before abruptly turning stoic once more. He slipped the pack he was carrying off his shoulder, throwing it to Kabuto who caught it midair. "This is what I've found so far. The seals of the records chamber take some time to unravel, so unlocking documents has been…tedious."

Kabuto loosened the mouth of the bag, slipping a hand inside to pull out an old-looking scroll. He unrolled it, holding the edges of the document gingerly between his fingers as he skimmed the neatly scribed information. It seemed the document was written by one of Konoha's council elders, dating back a little more than a decade.

"It mentions an ambush from Whirlpool Country," Sasuke said softly, "Where it states that Konoha used some kind of defense mechanism to obliterate the threat."

Kabuto nodded as he surveyed the scroll with a keen eye. "Which would explain the sudden death of Whirlpool Country's kage," he muttered, more to himself than anything. As Kabuto's eyes skimmed over the neat, handwritten words, a certain passage caught his eye.

_[This has been our first application trial of the new defense mechanism. The weapon has worked surprisingly well, much more efficiently than had been expected. The enemy has been promptly eliminated. There are no survivors. The extermination was completed within 19 hours, when we had initially expected 24. Although the weapon has remained outwardly unblemished, I would like to suggest higher conditioning to strengthen the core, since it has shown signs of fragility. I would also li-_

Sasuke remained silent as Kabuto read through the scroll, his expression bored and generally looking as if he would rather Kabuto not take his time. It was a few minutes of still silence before Kabuto's dark eyes refocused on Sasuke's face as he allowed the scroll to roll back into its initial structure, slipping it back into the pack he had retrieved it from. The bespectacled ninja smiled pleasantly as he hoisted the pack onto his shoulder. "So is this all, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn." He was never a man of many words.

Kabuto's smile turned sly. "Why, one would think you were losing your touch."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously as his face darkened. _Losing his touch, was he?_

"I hope Konoha hasn't been overworking you? I heard you'd taken up a job as a babysitter."

_Golden hair and blue, blue eyes…_

Kabuto blinked as he felt cold metal against his throat, the sharp edge of the blade nicking the skin so that he could feel his own blood well up against the minuscule cut. "Do not toy with me, Kabuto," Sasuke stated calmly against the other ninja's back as he tightened his grip on the kunai so that it pressed deeper into the tender skin of the man's throat, "For even your precious Orochimaru-sama will not be able to stop me from killing you if I want to."

Kabuto smirked. "Yes, but I doubt he would be very happy if you did. Kill one of his most loyal subordinates and he might just _not_ hold up his end of the deal. Or have you given up on killing your brother?"

Kabuto chuckled as he felt Sasuke stiffen, and chose that moment to slip out of dark-haired nin's hold and to a safe distance. "You should really learn to control your temper Sasuke-kun. It will be your undoing one day," he remarked in an amused tone, loud enough for Sasuke to hear, as he secured the pack containing the scroll across his shoulder tightly. Kabuto gave one last seemingly friendly smile before disappearing into the darkness of the surrounding forest.

Sasuke remained where he was for all of ten seconds before calmly pocketing his kunai and making his way back to Konoha…

…back to sky blue eyes and sunshine hair.

**-LineBreak-**

The shrill whistling of the kettle sliced through the stuffy silence, and it was a bouncing Naruto that happily approached it, a container of instant ramen in his hand. The steam billowed from the spout as the dried noodles were steadily submerged in boiling water, and it wasn't until the square block of noodles started to float that Naruto placed the kettle back down on the stove and secured the lid back over the container. He carried it back to the dining table, taking slow, careful steps and generally acting like one would if they were carrying their firstborn.

Sasuke watched on in silent amusement as Naruto gently placed the ramen on the table, fingers light and careful so as not to spill the broth, before plonking himself down onto a chair. The blond leaned back in his seat, his hand on the tabletop, fingers rhythmically thumping on the hard wood as if three whole minutes couldn't possibly go by fast enough as his eyes never strayed from the container of ramen in front of him.

Sasuke studied Naruto out of the corner of his eye, his hands still carrying out their chore of cleaning his weapons. Three weeks ago, Naruto would have used these three minutes to bother him, and he could almost picture the blond collapsing unceremoniously beside him on the couch, possibly slipping an arm around his shoulders and chattering his head off about god knows what. Sasuke never really bothered to take in Naruto's one-sided conversations. And maybe the bright Chunin would offer to help him clean his weapons, ignoring him when he would say 'no', and he would have to end up saving the blond idiot from chopping off his own fingers anyway.

The sound of loud slurping jerked Sasuke from his thoughts, and he didn't have to look at Naruto to know that the three minutes were up and that the blond was wasting no time downing the bowl of noodles. Sasuke blinked a couple of times as his mind cleared and he was jerked back to reality. '_What the hell is wrong with me?_' Sasuke thought to himself, as he ran a hand through his midnight hair. '_Damn it, Uchiha, get your act back together!_'

Naruto, however, continued to slurp down his ramen, seemingly ignorant of the Uchiha in the far end of the room. As the blond drank up the rest of the remaining broth, draining the bowl so that there was not even a single droplet left (it was against his moral codes to let ramen go to waste after all), Naruto paused when he felt his senses perk. If he had been an animal, he was sure his ears would have twitched. A faint, barely distinguishable chakra was present in the vicinity, either so weak or hidden so well. _Familiar…so very familiar…who…_

Naruto's eyes lit up.

Sasuke's gaze snapped to focus just in time to see Naruto propel out of his chair, on his face a grin so wide that the whisker marks scrunched, distorted. The Uchiha stood up just as Naruto reached the door, tugged it open and rushed out, his running footsteps echoing along the corridor.

Three seconds later found the room empty, as the door swung on its hinges, a second chain of quick footsteps following the first.

**-LineBreak-**

When the chase had finally stopped, Sasuke found himself in front of the Hokage's office, looking on the scene before him with a carefully schooled expression. Upon their arrival, the great oak doors of the Hokage's office had opened to reveal three formidable-looking ninjas. From their appearance, he could tell they were foreigners, probably from Wind Country, if their odd clothes were anything to go by.

And it was at this point that Naruto had launched himself onto the shortest of the three – an intimidating redhead with black-rimmed eyes – simultaneously giving the two ninjas flanking him a heart attack, as well the other two Konoha Jounins that were on guard by the doors. They had moved to drag the blond away from the sand nin, but stopped when the redhead had flashed them a particularly harsh glare, slightly obstructed by the arms encasing his neck in a chokehold and the mop of spiky blond hair in his face.

Which then led to the situation they were in now. Sasuke continued to look on from the sidelines as Naruto chattered nonstop to the redhead, not understanding the weird surge of anger he felt every time the blond leaned a little too close or initiated too much contact. '_Couldn't the moron keep his hands to himself for five minutes?_' Sasuke grumbled inwardly, barely restraining himself from glaring daggers at the redhead. '_Who the hell was that runt anyway?_'

As the blond continued to gesticulate wildly, seemingly in the middle of a very exciting story, Sasuke gave an annoyed grunt that he thought went unnoticed, at least until the redhead's jade-green gaze fell on him. If he had been any lesser man, Sasuke was sure he would have cowered at the cold, emotionless gaze. And to think, people called _him_ a cold bastard.

"Who are you?" the redhead questioned calmly, but Sasuke could tell it was more a command than anything.

Sasuke remained silent. Like hell he was going to answer to this spoiled brat!

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he gave the redhead's arm a brief tug. "Gaara, don't mind Sasuke, he's always like that." Sasuke froze as he heard the name. _Gaara? Sabaku no Gaara? Shit._

Naruto continued chattering. "I should know, I mean, I live with the bastard after all. But back to what I was saying, that giant ramen looked so re-"

"Why is he living with you?"

Naruto frowned. "Er…haven't you heard? Baa-chan assigned me a…erm…" and a faint red tinged the blonde's cheeks as he continued in a lower tone, "…a bodyguard."

And even though the redhead's facial features not so much as twitched, Naruto must have sensed some aura of surprise for he went on, "Didn't you know? Wait…but isn't Sasuke a Suna-nin?" The blond looked even more confused. "Didn't you know you transferred someone to guard me?"

Inwardly, Sasuke was about to pull his hair out at the roots, hoping that for once Naruto would shut up. Even though his face was still schooled to be blank, his heart was beating a mile a minute, as he scraped his brain for some sort of plan that would smoothly get him out of this predicament. Goddamn it! He didn't expect the Kazekage to come to Konoha!

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Why do you need a bodyguard?"

Naruto's mouth snapped shut and, for the first time since the blonde's arrival, there was silence.

"Because I assigned him one," A voice said calmly, as the large oak doors swung wide open to reveal the Hokage. Tsunade looked down her nose at the Kazekage, "I thought the brat would have dragged you off to Ichikaku's by now, Kazekage-sama."

The Kazekage switched his attention to the blonde, ample-breasted woman, ignoring Naruto's enraged squawk of "It's I-chi-_ra_-ku's!".

Jade-green eyes flashed and the Kazekage's voice was steel. "Why does he need a bodyguard? And why have I not been informed?"

"I hardly believe it is the Kazekage's job to concern himself with trivial matters such as handing out missions," Tsunade said haughtily, "I believe that is why you hired Baki-san, is it not? Do not worry, the Uchiha has done a fine job so far."

The Kazekage's eyes flashed angrily and the room spiked with barely suppressed chakra. There was an awkward, stuffy silence, and no one dared to be the first to break it. The two Suna-nins flanking the Kazekage – a spiky haired blonde girl and a black-suited man – tensed as if preparing to restrain the Kazekage if need be. Sasuke's jaw clenched as he readied himself to take the quickest route to drag Naruto away from the carnage if things went out of control.

And everyone remained frozen. That is, until –

_Grrrrooowwwllll…_

All eyes snapped to Naruto, who looked sheepish as he rubbed a hand over his belly. "Heh heh…er…" He ruffled the back of his head, making the blond spikes stick up even more haphazardly. The occupants of the room sweat-dropped. _Was this kid for real?_

Naruto snaked a hand around the Kazekage's arm, giving a gentle tug that caused the redhead to glance back at him. "Gaara, I'm hungry," Naruto muttered, his bottom lip jutting out in a pout. Cold, green eyes softened. Sasuke bristled.

The Kazekage turned back to Tsunade. "We shall talk about this later."

The Hokage nodded, before, with a swish of her robes, started walking along the corridor and down the stairs, Shizune in tow.

Gaara gave a nod to his two siblings, before following in the Hokage's direction, a bouncing Naruto by his side. The blond had picked off on his previous story, cheerful and excited at the prospect of finally getting lunch, and chattering away a mile a minute. The edges of the Kazekage's lips twitched. It felt good to be back.

Sasuke was following not so far behind, and just when they had exited the Hokage tower and he was about to take to the roofs where it was much easier to survey the blond, his feet stopped obeying him. Sasuke looked down, only to find both his feet encased in a mound of sand, thin tendrils traveling up and around his ankles threateningly. He couldn't move.

Sasuke looked up, only to come face to face with the Kazekage. "Your presence will not be required today," Gaara stated calmly, "You may leave."

Sasuke barely repressed a growl. "It is my job to protect Uzumaki Naruto."

"He will not need your protection whilst he is in my company."

Sasuke's lip curled, his mind racing for a comeback. Unfortunately, the Kazekage beat him before he could come up with a valid retort.

"You may be hired by Konoha, but I am the Kazekage and, as a Suna-nin, you _will_ obey my orders." Green eyes bore into him, calculating, calculating, and the sand around Sasuke's feet tightened forcefully. He was looking into him, _through_ him. Sasuke bit his tongue and bowed. He had no choice, unless he wanted to give his identity away. _Fucking bastard!_

Naruto looked worried as he gave a gentle tug on Gaara's sleeve. The redhead turned around and continued walking. Naruto followed, but not without sneaking glances at Sasuke over his shoulder. Sasuke had thought there was worry reflected in those blue eyes, but figured it was probably a trick of the light.

The pressure on his feet relented as the tendrils of sand receded back into the ground. Sasuke rolled his ankles a little to get the blood flowing again, unclenching his fists which he hadn't realized he had clenched. There was a burning in his chest. Resentment, irritation, anger. Simmering. Building.

_Goddamn it!_

**-LineBreak-**

Sasuke stormed into the room, the door creaking loudly as it crashed into the adjacent wall, as if in resentment for being treated so brutally. He collapsed down onto the bed, and the mattress squeaked under his weight. Sasuke was quiet as he stared up at the cream-painted ceiling, traced the tiny cracks with his eyes and breathed in deeply. _Earth…soap…ramen…_

He growled as his hand grabbed for the closest thing in the vicinity – a pillow – and chucked it across the room. A clattering sound made him pause. Sasuke sat up, scooted himself over to the edge of the bed and looked down. A picture frame lay facedown on the floor, knocked over by the pillow he had sent flying in his frustration. He spent a few seconds staring at it dumbly, before coming to his senses and reached down to pick it up. The frame was made of wood, good quality wood at that. He flipped the frame around, and was met with –

- Naruto. A younger Naruto, but he could tell it was Naruto all the same. He had yet to see anyone else with that particular shade of gold for hair or that particular hue of blue for eyes. The young Naruto, probably around seven years old at the time, was sitting on the lap of an old man with a grey beard and an impressive amount of wrinkles. '_His grandfather?_' Sasuke wondered. The old man was smiling genially, while Naruto…was not. In fact, the little tanned face was serious, and Sasuke felt an unpleasant feeling in his gut at seeing a Naruto without a smile. It didn't feel right. In fact, it felt _wrong_. Naruto was never emotionless, and if it wasn't a smile that graced the tanned face, it was a scowl or snarl of passionate anger. But never…nothing.

Sasuke snorted. Why did he care anyway? Why the hell was he in the idiot's room in the first place? He placed the picture frame back on the bedside table before burying his face in his hands.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

Well first off, (gets down on knees and begs) I'm very very very very sorry for disappearing for over a month. I haven't fallen off the face of the planet, and I completely understand if some of you wish I had. Heck, that would certainly be a better excuse than the one I'm about to give you. School's been hectic and the teachers have been drowning our class with homework. So…sorry?

As well, this chapter was hell to write. I knew what to put in it, but I didn't know quite how to flesh it out. It was like trying to scale a wall that didn't have any footholds (now why can't I use that kind of imagery in my writing?). Anyway, since right now it's the end of term holidays, I sat down in front of my laptop and squeezed this chapter out of my fingers. I figured, hey, a crappy chapter was better than no chapter, right?

And I've finally got Gaara in there! Woot woot! Yeah! (Clears throat) Erm…heh heh…can you tell he's my favourite character? Oh, and I promise that I didn't just shove him in there for the sake of it, he _is _vital to the plot.

Ok…so please give me feedback on what you thought of the chapter (or the story in general if you're a newcomer). I will personally respond to any questions you may have. Just write 'RESPOND' or something in the review so I know if you actually want a response or if you're just musing. Constructive criticism will be embraced and appreciated. **And thank you for all the support so far. I really appreciate it.**

Review, please! You guys are awesome!

- Nine1991 -


	6. Of Threats and Guilt

**Author's Note:** I'm really really really sorry for disappearing! Consider this extra long chapter a peace offering!

**Warning:** YAOI (Rating will go up and content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_ flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

**(now also known as 'Taof' – brilliant idea of JD01)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 6: Of Threats and Guilt

Ever since the arrival of the Kazekage, the normally comfortable, laid-back village of Konoha had been locked tighter than an S-class criminal jail cell. The idea was that all activity taken place within the vicinity of Konoha's walls were to be tightly monitored, basically achieving the result that anything inside _remained_ inside and anything outside _remained_ outside. Missions were postponed to a later date or simply not assigned at all as a measure to decrease ninja movement across the village border. And whatever movement there was, was scanned and evaluated to such a detail that the people were nothing short of being strip-searched on the spot had they wanted to even step a toe across Konoha's gates.

The hosting of another village's Kage had been and always will be a delicate and tense affair. The fact that they held another village's ruler within their walls was easily the equivalent of housing someone else's heart within their own body. At the off chance that even a single hair on the visiting Kage's head was harmed while within their domain, the corresponding village would not hesitate to act on that as a reason to attack and wage a war. Countless alliances and years of carefully maintained peace have been reduced to dust before due to accidents during Kage meetings that were, amidst the panic and alarm, perceived as an offensive move. Blood would be spilt and buildings razed to the ground, and, in the end, no one really won.

No, Konoha would not risk such a war. Not when their alliance with Suna was still on shaky terms, having been formed not even a decade ago. Which was why these measures were being taken, and why many Leaf nins suddenly found themselves with nowhere to go and nothing to do.

And this was exactly what Sasuke blamed as cause for his current predicament. He sat, perched on some random person's apartment balcony – an old lady it seemed, if the oversized pink underwear hanging on the clothes line were any indication – looking down on the steady traffic of people below him.

It was a boring day, with simply nothing to do. He had woken up in the morning with full intentions of embarking on a full day of hard, satisfying training, but by midday had been left feeling restless and fidgety. When his shurikens had started to gradually veer off course from the center of the target he was aiming at, Sasuke admitted defeat and let his feet take him to wherever it is they wanted to go so much. And that was how Sasuke found himself, twenty minutes later, sitting on some old lady's creaky balcony with the largest undergarments he'd ever seen swinging not five metres from his face. Never in all his short life had he thought he'd have to put up with so much humiliation (he was an Uchiha, damn it!), but five minutes into the crowded streets of Konoha's market square and after the twentieth accidental collision – nineteen of which were female, peculiarly – he'd finally decided to use his brain and taken to the closest window ledge/roof/balcony/anything really as long as it got him off the streets and away from human interaction. This old balcony just happened to have the perfect shade that kept him away from curious (long-lashed, simpering) eyes and allowed him complete, unhindered view of his surroundings.

For that, he'd put up with the hideous underwear.

Sasuke sighed as he rested his chin on his arm, which lay across a bent knee. '_Well, this is the last time I trust my feet to lead the way._'

His eyes flickered to the quaint ramen stand situated below every time someone entered or left the shop, the momentary parting of the entrance flaps allowing brief glimpses of a loud orange shirt and bright golden hair. He could hear the hearty laughter all the way from where he was sitting. He rubbed his palm against the sudden dull ache in his chest.

It never ceased to amaze him how easily Naruto seemed to draw people in. And though he did notice how the older generation always grumbled and sneered whenever the blond was within hearing distance, the same could not be said for the younger generation of Konoha. They all simply adored him – everyone from his fellow peers to the younger children. He remembered that trio of brats that cornered Naruto the other day – Konohamaru or something was the leader's name – and they had begged and begged for the blond to help them train. 'Boss', they had called him. And it didn't take much whining and tugging before Naruto gave in and sacrificed almost an hour (much to Sasuke's amazement) of his ramen-eating time to supervise the young ninjas in target practice and chakra control. Personally, Sasuke would have just flashed them a glare and they would have run straight for the high hills. He snorted. _Who in their right mind would want to look up to such a dobe anyway?_

His eyes focused back on the entrance of the ramen stand as a portly man exited the shop, carrying what must have been at least three days worth of packaged food. The flaps parted widely behind him, and Sasuke looked past the man's bulky form and into the shop, only to stiffen as his gaze did not land on Naruto's grinning face, but instead was met with a pair of cold, green, not-very-friendly eyes. Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared back. And he continued to do so even when the flaps fell back into place, blocking the interior of the shop from view.

Quite frankly, he was getting sick of the Kazekage acting like some sort of disgruntled guard dog. The market place was public property (well, maybe not the balcony he was sitting on, but he was sure the owner wouldn't mind), and if he so wanted to overlook the busy crowd of people in his spare time then he was very well entitled to.

Sasuke straightened when he saw a pair of sandal-clad feet linger just behind the curtain of flaps. If the Kazekage was game enough to confront him in the middle of the market square, then he would eagerly accept the challenge with open arms.

With his shoulders tensed and a hand poised, hovering over his weapons pouch, Sasuke's eyes were trained on the stationary flaps of Ichiraku Ramen. His heartbeat started to quicken in excitement as the flaps parted, and someone stepped out into the glaring sunlight.

Someone with…pink….hair.

Sasuke let out a disappointed sigh as his muscles relaxed and he slumped back onto the wall he was leaning on. He blew an irritating stray strand of dark hair away from his eyes. For a moment there, he thought he was going to be in for some fun. It had been a while since he was able to pit his strengths against another ninja (he winced as he remembered just when that last time was), and he supposed a part of him was hoping for the Kazekage to snap and make the first move.

"Uchiha-san! Uchiha-san!"

Sasuke glanced to the side at the sound of his name, an eyebrow quirked almost on reflex. He grimaced as he saw the pink-haired girl who had just previously exited the ramen shop waving enthusiastically up at him from across the street. Now that he thought about it, she did look rather familiar. Where had he seen her before?

"Oh my gosh! It's that guy!"

"Sugoi! He's gorgeous!"

"Isn't he the new Suna transfer?"

"Should I go introduce myself? How do I look?"

Sasuke started to feel uneasy as he noticed the sudden amount of whispering and admiring gazes directed his way. He silently cursed the pink-haired kunoichi for giving away his position.

"Uchiha-san!"

And it seemed she was not quite yet finished ruining his day as she was still calling him, still making her way towards him, and still so unbearably _loud_! For god sakes, she might as well start waving flash beacons at his balcony if she continued to screech his name any louder.

Sasuke stood up calmly, stretching his legs a little as he encouraged the blood to resume its usual flow, blatantly ignoring the gushing remarks of "He's so cool!" and other idiotic girlish cries that sounded in the background at his movements. His lips pressed into a straight, thin line, and he checked to see just how far away that pink-haired girl was (she was enthusiastically weaving her way through the crowds of people at quite a fantastic rate). Not looking forward to a meeting with a person of the female variety just yet, Sasuke swiveled on his heel and darted off into a nearby, shadowed alleyway before taking to the roofs and away from the market square.

**-LineBreak-**

Uzumaki Naruto was in heaven. Sweet, euphoric heaven. If this was a dream then he dearly wished he was in a coma with no preordained recovery date, for he wanted to spend the rest of his life right here, right now, in this dream. Whoever said that the best things in life could not be bought must've never had ramen, and he was sure thankful that Gaara was the Kazekage (and therefore wildly loaded), able to treat him to a ramen spree every time he came to Konoha for a visit.

He slurped up the rest of the noodle dangling from his mouth, flicking broth everywhere, and Sakura cringed back in disgust as she saw a stray glistening droplet fly through the air, only to land in her own bowl. She blinked a few times, before bringing a fist up to crash it back down on the blond mop of hair beside her.

"Itttaaii!!!" Naruto yelled, toppling out of his stool and onto the floor, both hands nursing his bruised scalp. "What was that for, Sakura-chan!?"

"_That_ was for your disgusting eating manners," Sakura snapped, primly placing her chopsticks on the bowl and pushing it away from her. She was full anyway.

Naruto shot a hefty glare at Kiba, who was busy guffawing at the blonde's expense, and threw a scrunched up ball of napkin at his ungrateful friend. "Shut up, dog-breath!"

"Or you'll do what, fox-face?" Kiba's grin was all teeth. "Wipe your mouth on me?"

His response was another napkin in the face.

Naruto grumbled as he grabbed onto Gaara's seat and hoisted himself up, perching back on his own stool. He looked at Gaara, who had remained characteristically silent throughout the entire ordeal, and grimaced when he saw his friend was calmly dabbing at an array of dark splotches on his vest. Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Heh, sorry Gaara. Did I do that?"

Gaara slowly placed the used napkin back on the counter and turned his piercing jade-green gaze on the blond. The owner of the shop and the other customers sitting within the vicinity stopped to stare, their legs tensed and ready to bolt at the first sign of hostility from the feared Kazekage. Naruto frowned and glanced around confusedly at the suddenly quiet atmosphere.

Gaara blinked. "It is fine," he said, before turning back to his bowl of ramen. It really was fine. He was well accustomed to Naruto's messiness by now, and knew never to wear one of his good outfits when treating the blond to ramen. There was a collective sigh of relief as people went back to what they were doing. Teuchi discreetly wiped the sweat from his brow, glad his shop wasn't going to be obliterated, and went back to wiping the dishes.

"Say, fox-face, when was the last time you went on a mission? I haven't seen you get off your lazy ass since last month!"

Naruto huffed angrily. "Shut up, dog-breath! Of course I've been doing missions. The old hag's just been limiting me to ones that are inside the village. I think she's pissed at me about my apartment blowing up or something." He swirled the broth in his bowl with a chopstick dejectedly. "Don't know why. It's not like I _wanted_ my apartment to blow up."

Sakura, who was just about to chastise the blond for referring to the Hokage so disrespectfully, felt her annoyance dissipate immediately at hearing Naruto's unhappy tone. Her face softened as she gently touched the blonde's hand with her own. "She's just worried about you, Naruto. We all are."

Naruto glanced up at the kunoichi, his brows still knitted in a slight frown. Sakura shouldered him gently, a reassuring smile on her face. Slowly, the blonde's lips quirked into a small grin.

"Aaahh, Sakura. Speak for yourself. Like I care what happens to fox-face over there."

_Thwack! _"Kiba! You insensitive jerk!"

"Itai! What! What!"

Naruto laughed loudly. He didn't know where he'd be without his friends. And frankly, he never wanted to find out.

Kiba stumbled over, a hand rubbing his sore shoulder and muttering grumpily under his breath. "Damn it, Sakura, you should go easy on the protein."

Sakura shot him a venomous glare, and Kiba shrunk back perceptibly. He slipped in between the kunoichi and Naruto, keeping as close to the blond as possible. He gave Naruto a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Nah, man. We're buds! Of course I care!"

Naruto grinned crookedly. "You comin' on to me, man?"

Kiba shot the blond a dirty look, rolling his eyes and throwing his hands in the air in a dramatic display of exasperation. "Dude! Completely killed the moment, man! You don't go and shoot down a guy's masculinity like that when he's tryin' to have a heart-to-heart!"

Naruto snorted and even Sakura couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

"Ah, just joking, man. Hey, you wanna help me play a prank?"

Kiba's neck swiveled so fast that Naruto was sure it must have caused whiplash. A wide grin was plastered on the ninja's face. "Who, what, where. I'm all ears, man. All ears."

Sakura scowled as the two boys huddled head-to-head, conspiring in low voices. Honestly, would they ever grow up? She ordered another drink. If they were up to mischief, then someone had to hang around and act the chaperone.

Gaara watched his blond friend laugh and chat merrily, watched him smile his bright smile as if daring the world to throw at him all it had and that he'd take it head on with his hands tied behind his back. Naruto truly was an enigma, and Gaara never could quite fathom what logic caused the blond to grow up so cheerful even after all the hate that had been directed his way, after all that he'd been through. Gaara knew what it was like to grow up in such a bitter environment, knew what it _felt_ like, and knew that there was absolutely no way he himself could have grown up any less hateful. So just how had Naruto done it?

"Yo! Chouji!"

A large teenager who had just entered the ramen shop smiled and walked over to their area of the counter at hearing Kiba's shout. He settled himself down on the seat at Kiba's right, swiping his sleeve over a sweaty brow, his cheeks with their peculiar swirly marks tinted red from a combination of the weather's heat and the walk to the ramen shop. "Hey, guys."

"Here for lunch?" Naruto asked with a knowing grin, placing an elbow on the counter and leaning over to survey Chouji around Kiba's obstructing form.

Chouji shook his head. "Nah, just here to pick up my dad's order." And right on cue, a plastic bag housing the largest stack of food containers Naruto had ever seen was placed on the counter. Naruto's mouth watered.

Kiba shot an amused glance at the blond. "Hey, Chouji, you better get going before Naruto here dies of dehydration."

Chouji chuckled, grabbing the plastic bag and swerving it away just as Naruto lunged. "No can do, man. Dad would have my head." He gave one last sweeping wave of the shop, shouting a "Thanks, Teuchi-san! See you guys later!" over his shoulder as he left.

Naruto sighed as he collapsed onto the surface of the counter, his arms splayed out in front of him lazily. He looked at the old shop owner and grinned, lifting one pointer finger into the air as he said, "One more, Oji-san!"

"Huh!? Naruto! Haven't you had enough!?" Sakura remarked disapprovingly as her eyes lingered on the surrounding empty bowls of ramen, piled high and scattered wide.

Naruto shooed the question away with a dismissive sweep of his hand. "Maah, you could never have enough ramen! And besides, Gaara doesn't mind. Do you, Gaara?" Bright, blue eyes turned onto the Kazekage expectantly.

Gaara, who had been staring intently at the shop entrance, calmly turned back to Naruto. "I do not mind," he said, his gaze slowly moving from Naruto to Sakura, as if daring the kunoichi to voice one more protest.

Sakura blanched. Sometimes it was so very difficult dealing with the Kazekage.

Naruto idly watched the shop keeper bustling around preparing his order, eventually switching his focus to his red-headed friend, who had in turn switched his focus back on the shop entrance. Naruto clucked his tongue a few times, his fingers tapping impatiently on the smooth wooden surface under it before slapping flat with a sudden _thump_. "So, Gaara, whatcha lookin' a-"

"Uchiha is outside."

Naruto blinked. "What?"

"Your bodyguard is outside."

Naruto was silent for a minute, and the shop owner chose that exact moment to place the blonde's steaming bowl of ramen on the counter. Naruto turned to his meal, coolly breaking apart a new pair of chopsticks and swirling it around the broth. He was fully aware that Gaara's piercing gaze never once wavered from his face. "So what?" Naruto muttered, taking a huge mouthful of noodles.

"What did he do?"

A pause. Chew and swallow. "What are you talking about?"

"You get along with everyone." Jade-green eyes narrowed. And Gaara's voice turned sharper, more statement than question. "What did the Uchiha do."

Naruto's brows lifted and his lips quirked into a lopsided grin. He picked up a fishcake between his chopsticks and shoved them into his mouth. "Gaara, _the Uchiha_ did nothing."

Gaara emotionlessly stared at the blond. However, he didn't get the chance to respond as Sakura's face snapped away from her chat with Kiba at the sound of a familiar name.

"Eh? Uchiha? As in your bodyguard-Uchiha?"

Naruto waved a chopstick in the air. "Yeah. Gaara says he's outside."

Sakura's face practically lit up with excitement. "Really!?" she squealed, but stopped short and blushed when she realized all eyes were looking her way. She cleared her throat uneasily. "Erm…well, guess I should go say hi then!" Jumping up from her seat, Sakura walked (with perhaps a little more bounce than she intended) to the store's entrance.

"Whaaattt!" Naruto whined, "Why do you have to leave, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura paused before she exited the ramen shop, turning back to the pouting blond with a small frown on her face and her hands on her hips. "Don't be silly, Naruto! It'll be rude if we don't greet him!" And with that, she left the store, the flaps of the entrance cascading back into place behind her.

Naruto huffed, swiping a lock of golden-blond hair away from his eyes as he turned back to the counter and lifted the bowl to his lips, draining it of its remaining broth. He glanced at Gaara, who happened to still be staring at him.

Naruto sighed as he placed the now-empty bowl back on the counter. He pointedly looked at Gaara. "Nothing. Happened."

He signaled for the bill.

**-LineBreak-**

Haruno Sakura inwardly gave a triumphant cheer as she swerved her way past one last villager (the old man she cut in front of gave her a particularly nasty glare as he grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'Kids these days…'). She paused to catch her breath, resting her palms against her knees as she took in big gulps of air. Once her lungs had been sufficiently supplied with oxygen and the piercing stitch in her side had dulled to a gentle ache, Sakura straightened up, her lips pulled into a shy smile as she lifted a hand to wave to the handsome ninja that had caught her eye.

She paused, the smile on her lips morphing into a frown, her hand frozen comically halfway above her shoulder as she stared in confusion at the rickety balcony that had, until recently, housed one gorgeous dark-haired nin.

'_Eh? Where'd he go?_'

**-LineBreak-**

It had been a comfortably warm summer's day when Naruto had been asked by Iruka to assist him in a class presentation. Which of course left Sasuke with nothing to do and nowhere to go for seven hours or so, since he couldn't very well stand guard in a school classroom. Kids just weren't his thing. And besides, what possible harm could come to the blond in a classroom full of inexperienced Genins save misaimed kunais and poorly-thrown shurikens?

He wandered aimlessly down the corridors of the Hokage tower, his muscles aching pleasantly from his earlier morning training after having escorted Naruto to the academy. He had to admit, for one thing, Konoha really did have a pleasant training ground. With their extensive acres of forest, he was able to train in seclusion, without being bothered by other ninjas or the like.

Sasuke paused for a fraction of a second as he passed the Hokage's office, his ears catching the muffled sound of something crashing closely followed by low, harsh voices. He took note of the deserted guard posts beside the large oak doors. No sooner had he thought that the situation seemed peculiar when the Hokage's angered voice sifted through the seams of the timber doors.

"…am responsible for the citizens of Konoha…do not make the mistake…thinking I do not do my job well…"

Sasuke moved to continue down the hall – after all, whoever the Hokage had a meeting with was no concern of his – but froze mid-step at hearing the next snip of conversation.

"…village is holding him back…Naruto is not an object to be possessed…" The Kazekage's cold voice was easily recognizable even through the thickness of the timber.

Sasuke stood stock-still as the voices inside the office escalated and whole sentences rather than just bits of conversation were more easily heard.

"Do not make the mistake of thinking that you are the only one who cares for Naruto!" The Hokage sounded furious.

"And yet you still cage him in this prison you call a village," the Kazekage's voice was as hard and chilly as ice, "This place is bleeding him dry."

"I take care of all my people! Are you accusing me of negligence towards any one of my citizens?"

"It is because you take care of all your people that I believe you have chosen to preserve the village over Naruto. He is not a sacrifice for you or anyone to make-"

A harsh thump, like fist upon wood.

"And neither is he yours, Kazekage-sama! As the Godaime Hokage of Konoha, I reject your proposal and I will not be transferring Uzumaki Naruto to Suna. This discussion is over."

There was silence, for only a moment, before the large oak doors of the Hokage's office flung wide open with a whirlwind of raging sand, the torrent of particles cascading like an unblocked dam into a flood along the floor, the grains moving, swirling, travelling at a terrific pace. And before Sasuke knew it, he was backed against the opposite wall, buried neck-high in a cocoon of sand that immobilized every limb of his body, not allowing even the slightest inch of movement.

The Kazekage appeared through the doorway, silently walking up to Sasuke's trapped form with something akin to cold indifference if it weren't for the slightly manic glint in his eyes. Eyes which, Sasuke now realized as the Kazekage stopped not even a meter away from him, were no longer its usual pale green but a rich gold, the pupils strangely diamond-shaped. Sasuke took small satisfaction in the fact that he was at least a couple of inches taller than the red-head in front of him.

"You were listening."

It didn't seem like a question, so he didn't bother to grace it with an answer.

"You did something to him."

Sasuke kept his voice toneless as he enquired, "May I ask what you are talking about, Kazekage-sama?" He knew that his disguise was precariously on the edge. Ever since the Kazekage had stepped foot inside Konoha's walls, his position had become increasingly risky. It would be so easy for everything to fall apart at that moment if he didn't act calmly.

"Know this, Uchiha," the Kazekage took one step closer, and the sand encasing Sasuke's neck tightened exponentially, "Naruto saved my life…" The grains crawled upwards, tendrils creeping up his chin and cheekbones threateningly. "…And, Suna-nin or not, I have no qualms about taking yours."

The Kazekage's eyes bore into his own, and Sasuke had to fight to suppress his Sharingan from activating at the almost overbearing killing intent. He reigned in his urge to fight, the urge to pit his strengths against a powerful opponent, that acute urge that could ruin everything.

All of a sudden, the tight grip on his body lessened, the grains melting away to a loose, harmless pile on the floor before gathering smoothly and collecting into the large gourd strapped to the Kazekage's back. The Kazekage gave Sasuke one last piercing look before striding away down the hall, his steps calm and silent.

Sasuke slumped against the wall behind him, sheer stubbornness being the only thing that kept his legs from giving out. He took a deep breath.

"You alright, Uchiha?"

Sasuke looked up. The Hokage was standing by the doorway, looking at him with a bored expression on her face. It seems she had gotten up to close the doors that the Kazekage had left ajar at his exit.

Sasuke nodded. The doors to the Hokage's office closed firmly shut.

**-LineBreak-**

"I'm gonna go and spend the day at Ichiraku's with Gaara, so…yeah." Naruto stood awkwardly by the doorway, shifting his weight from foot to foot uneasily as he waited for some sign that Sasuke had heard what he had said. When his dark-haired bodyguard remained unresponsive, Naruto left, taking the silence as an affirmative.

Sasuke stared blankly at the scroll in his hand, his eyes seeing but not comprehending what was written on its pale surface. When he heard the door slam shut, he rolled the scroll up and placed it aside, grasping the cup of tea beside him and holding it so that his hands wrapped around the whole circumference, enjoying the warm, almost scorching heat of the ceramic against his palms. He took one sip, then two, before downing the rest in one gulp, ignoring the harsh burn of the scalding liquid as it surged down his throat, leaving a numb, tingling feeling in its wake. He got up, deposited the cup in the sink, grabbed his weapons pouch from the dining table and left the room.

Sasuke walked purposefully along the forest path to the training grounds, reveling in the peacefulness of the nature around him. He really did enjoy his solitude, enjoyed being away from the wagging tongues and prying eyes of other people, enjoyed being alone. '_And yet…' _Sasuke thought, as he rubbed the heel of his palm against that dull, persistent ache in his chest, '_It doesn't feel quite as good as it used to.'_

He settled himself down against the foot of a nearby tree, suddenly not quite in the mood to be hurling shurikens at targets or punching at logs. A gentle breeze swept past and Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned his head back, enjoying the cool relief. He opened them again a minute later.

Against the clear blue sky, peaking just over the green of the surrounding tree tops, Sasuke could see the tall mountain containing the carvings of the heads of Konoha's previous Hokages. On the far right he could see the face with a stark likeness to the Godaime's, the expression stern just like its four other counterparts and looking down upon the village. He paused when, as he scanned the mountainside, he laid eyes on the face beside the Godaime's. Wild, gravity-defying hair and intense eyes. In his mind's eye he painted those locks gold, and those eyes a vivid, striking blue, and thin whisker-like marks lining each chee –

Sasuke blinked. That was it, wasn't it? He subconsciously rubbed the intensifying ache in his chest. That was the problem all along! The reason why he had recently been finding it difficult to concentrate, the reason for this damn annoying pain he was experiencing…

Was it because he was feeling – dare he say it – guilty?

He brushed his bangs away from his forehead, scrabbling onto his feet and feeling like he'd just solved a particularly difficult puzzle. So, really, all he had to do was apologize to the idiot. Barring the fact that he had never, not once in his life, apologized to anyone before – if that was all it took to get his focus back in check, then he was willing to put his pride aside for a sliver of a moment.

Before he realized it, he was running back to the Hokage Tower.

This guilt was slowly eating him away, and he'd be damned if he'd let it get in the way of his goal of destroying _that man_.

**-LineBreak-**

The first thing he noticed when he finally reached his room was that someone had entered it, and it was probably recent as well considering Sasuke had left the Hokage Tower not even half an hour ago. The door wasn't closed properly, something Sasuke was sure he had done before he left. It pushed open before he even had the chance to turn the knob.

Opening the door slowly (he silently thanked himself for having the initiative to oil the hinges last week), Sasuke stepped carefully into the room, a hand swiftly pulling out a kunai from his weapons pouch. He cast his senses wide, trying to pick up any chakra signatures within the vicinity, and frowned when he picked up Naruto's in his room. '_The idiot._' Sasuke sighed, and was about to put his kunai away when his senses picked up a spark of unfamiliar chakra next to the blonde's. The fact that Naruto's chakra seemed to suddenly fluctuate as well caused Sasuke's mind to jump to the worst possible conclusions, and he was across the living room in the blink of an eye, throwing the door to Naruto's bedroom wide open. At the back of his mind, a voice was telling him that he was acting irrationally, that he was panicking and throwing all his training out the window and since when the hell did barging head-first into a situation count as a well-calculated plan? But that voice was silenced immediately when Sasuke saw the sight before him.

At the sudden disturbance, Naruto's head snapped to the side to look over his shoulder from where he was standing in front of the Kazekage. At seeing Sasuke's frozen form framed in the now open doorway, Naruto cursed under his breath and pushed Gaara's hands away from their position on his waist. He lunged to the bed, grabbed his shirt and proceeded to shove it onto his torso, keeping his back to the dark-haired man who had just barged into the room.

Sasuke watched, stunned as he struggled to get his act back together. Whereas any normal person would have lost their jaw to the floor or started stuttering incoherently, Sasuke's expression remained composed and the only thing that signified his shock was the minuscule widening of his eyes. When he was able to gather his senses back together, Sasuke's gaze focused on the Kazekage, who was staring at him blankly from his seat by Naruto's desk, an arm leaning calmly over the sheaf of papers and scrolls scattered across the wooden surface.

He switched his focus to Naruto, who still had his back to him and was fiddling with his shirt. If Sasuke looked closer, he could see the telltale signs that the blond was blushing, from the pink-tinged skin of the back of Naruto's tanned neck.

He blinked, then calmly stepped out, closing the door gently behind him.

**-LineBreak-**

When the Kazekage had exited Naruto's room five minutes later with his gourd in place and a sac slung over his shoulder, Sasuke had already busied himself with the task of re-sharpening his weapons. He looked up at the Kazekage and their eyes met, and Sasuke, for the life of him, couldn't understand the sudden burning hatred and animosity he felt towards the red-haired Suna leader. He tore his eyes away from that blank, green gaze, and went back to sharpening the kunai in his hand, perhaps with a little more strength than was necessary.

As he heard the door click shut, signaling the Kazekage had left, Sasuke ceased his activity. It was only when his eyes cleared of their furious haze that he realized the stinging in his hand came from a large cut where the kunai he had been sharpening had cut in so deep that it almost hit bone.

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

I'm sorry that it seems like every time I update it always ends up being later and later. I was hit with school exams and I didn't have the time to write anything at all! Anyway, everything's all over now and I should hopefully be able to get on track with this fic again.

So, I hope I haven't lost any of my readers during my two months of no update. If I did then…what do I have to do to get you guys back!!! - sobs –

For all of you patient people who are still reading this story…thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!

For any newbies that have just started reading – welcome and please bear with me.

And I would also just like to inform you guys that **I'll be changing this fic rating to 'M' by next chapter**, since I don't want anyone freaking out when I _do_ dish out a lemon. Heh heh, you heard right. A lemon! But it won't be anytime soon, though.

Please review! It helps me know if you guys enjoy the story so far or if I'm just boring you. Plus, I simply just love reviews.

- Nine1991 -


	7. Stoic Apologies

**Author's Note:** Really tired. – yawns – Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!

**Warning:** YAOI (Content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_ flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

**(now also known as 'Taof' – brilliant idea of JD01)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 7: Stoic Apologies

"Yeah, and don't go ballistic and start killing everyone," Naruto said airily, before chuckling at his own joke. A few seconds later, his lighthearted laughter died down to a few sheepish coughs when he realized he seemed to be the only one finding it funny, counting by the grim expressions on the faces of the few council delegates that had extracted themselves from their stuffy meeting rooms to see the Kazekage off. Temari and Kankuro looked away uneasily, casting quick, nervous glances on their youngest sibling, who seemed quite unperturbed by what the blond had said. Tsunade sighed and shook her head.

Naruto continued, "Ah…and maybe the next time you come over or when I go over for a visit we can spar! You know, since we didn't get the chance to this time." He shot a glare in the Hokage's direction, and it was clear who he thought was directly responsible for that. He grinned widely at the Kazekage, giving him a friendly punch on the shoulder. "I guess this is goodbye for now then."

The edges of Gaara's lips quirked slightly, even though his voice remained unchanged. "Goodbye, Naruto." His face reverted back to its blank expression as he turned to the Hokage, nodding curtly in her direction, and then doing the same to the council elders, before turning around and walking out Konoha's gates with his siblings in tow.

Naruto waved a couple of times as the three sand-nins disappeared down the road until they were out of sight. He smiled, placing his arms behind his neck casually as he turned around to flash the Hokage a grin.

She quirked a brow in question. "What're you so happy about, gaki?"

Naruto shrugged, smile still as bright as the sun. "Nothing. I'm just glad, baa-chan."

"Glad about what?"

"That I have friends." His gaze lingered on the direction that the sand-nins had disappeared. He turned to look at the retreating figures of the council members, two of which were giving him ugly, open looks of disgust, one with carefully concealed distaste and another who refused to meet his gaze entirely. He said, voice barely bridging a whisper, "Thanks baa-chan. Thanks for everything."

Tsunade couldn't suppress the sad, gentle smile that crept its way onto her face as she lifted a hand to ruffle those forever messy blond spikes. "You're welcome, Naruto."

They stood there for a while, watching in companionable silence as the sun started to rise and bask the skies around it in shades of soft red and orange, chasing away the shadows and dousing the ground underneath their feet in gleaming light, signaling a new day to all who saw it. The familiar creaking of opening windows and doors and the sounds of sleepy, shuffling footsteps grew steadily louder as the villagers of Konoha woke up to yet another morning. Dazed 'good mornings' and muffled yawns preceded friendly conversations between neighbors and somewhere on the roofs a rooster crowed, loud and shrill, acting like some sort of catalyst as the noise seemed to urge the villagers of Konoha to wake even faster, the sounds of bustling life soon taking over.

Tsunade's hand moved from its resting place on Naruto's golden locks, sliding down to settle on his shoulder. When he glanced up at her, she brought up her other hand and playfully flicked his forehead, her expression light and cheerful. "By the way, gaki, you owe me a report for your last mission."

Naruto pouted, a hand rubbing his forehead, more out of reflex than any actual pain. "What mission report? All I did was pick weeds for some stupid old lady who's too lazy to get off her own a-"

"I don't care. I still want that report. I want to know everything, from every weed you plucked to every flower you thought was a weed and plucked anyway."

"What?! I know the difference between a weed and a flower! Honestly, you have no confidence in me whatsoever-"

Tsunade smiled as the young man beside her continued to rave and rant.

**-LineBreak-**

Sasuke glanced up when the sound of the door opening and closing signaled Naruto's return from seeing the Kazekage off. His gaze switched back to the paper in front of him and the unfinished diagram of the jutsu he had been trying to create, feigning a look of contemplation even though all his senses were trained on his roommate.

Naruto shrugged off his Chunin vest, placing it over the back of one of the chairs before walking to his bedroom. After a minute or so of the loud sounds of shuffling paper and rapid successions of drawers sliding open and close, he returned into the living room, a blank scroll in hand. Naruto walked pass Sasuke's spot and sat himself down at the opposite end of the table, unfurling the scroll across its wooden surface, pen twirling lazily between his fingers while the room lapsed into silence.

Sasuke felt nervous. How on earth do you start what he was planning to do? He shifted in his seat and tensed when the sound of fabric over wood seemed gratingly loud to his ears. He stopped moving completely.

Silence.

The ticking of the clock hanging on the wall beside him never seemed so loud.

Silence.

The momentary scratching of pen on paper as Naruto wrote something down.

Silence.

From outside, faint 'thump's of metal on timber as some form of construction took place.

Silence.

_Tick…tock…tick…tock…_

Silence.

_Scratch-scratch-scratch…_

Silence.

_Thump. Thump. Thump…_

Silence.

_Tick…Tock._

_Scratch-scratch._

_Thump. Thump._

_Tick. Scratch. Thump._

"Uh, Naruto…"

Time seemed to stop, all sounds muted, and Naruto looked like a frozen statue, the pen in his hand poised mid-twirl. Tension built like a pile of sand in an hour glass as Naruto frowned, head still turned down to the scroll he was writing on. All of a sudden, Sasuke quite regretted opening his mouth.

'_Oh, what the hell._'

**-LineBreak-**

Naruto was confused. For a moment, he had thought that someone had said his name. And that someone had sounded like Sasuke. Which, of course, was completely impossible since he and Sasuke never talked to each other unless Naruto was going out and even then, the reply he received was always either a curt nod of the head or a grunt if he was lucky. Not that he enjoyed the silence. But it had, in a way, become a barrier they had subconsciously put up, a safe-zone if you may, where neither of them would have any excuse to blow up.

So, therefore, Sasuke had _not_ said anything, and Naruto was most likely hearing things. Yep. He was hearing things. The constant silence must be playing with his head, that's all. No biggie. He'd ask Tsunade baa-chan to look into it tomorrow. Now, how many rose bushes were there in all…

"Naruto."

The blond blinked. Hmm. There it was again. Jeez, his case was more serious than he thought. Maybe he should consider going to Tsunade baa-chan right now.

"**Naruto.**"

Not believing that he was that far gone, Naruto looked up, and didn't know whether he should be wary or relieved at the irritated expression on Sasuke's face, indicating that the dark-haired nin had indeed been calling him. Being at quite a loss on how to react to this new predicament, he replied simply, "Sasuke."

Was it just him, or did Sasuke actually look somewhat nervous underneath that solemn glare of his?

Sasuke seemed tense, the clench in his jaw barely discernable except for the slightly more severe angles of his lower face. "Naruto…I…uh…" he started, but slowly fizzled out, his brows drawn into a frustrated frown, the tick in his jaw going a mile a minute as he seemed to lose his words.

Naruto waited patiently, perplexed and bemused. What was he getting at?

Sasuke took a deep breath. "Naruto. I…ah…that is…"

Naruto's brows seemed to rise up his forehead as he waited for Sasuke to spit out whatever it was he wanted to say. If he wasn't so worried about his bodyguard's sudden strange and uncharacteristic actions, he would have found this situation very amusing.

"Uh…so…I..." A huff of frustration. "What are you doing?!"

"What!" Naruto yelped, dropping the pen in his hand, palms wide, "I'm not doing anything!"

Sasuke sighed, rubbing a hand over his face and waving the other dismissively at Naruto's defensive posture. "No. I meant," he took a deeper, calmer breath, and gestured towards the partially filled scroll in front of the blond, "What are you doing?"

"Oh." Naruto deflated, his hands falling back down onto the table. "I'm filling out a mission report for baa-chan."

Sasuke raised a skeptical brow. "Mission report? You never did a mission."

"Yeah, of course I did. Don't you remember that time where I had to weed that old hag's garden?"

"Dobe, that's not a mission-" Sasuke stopped, wanting to smack himself, and it was Naruto's turn to tense.

"_**You. Are. Pathetic." A shallow breath. "Dobe."**_

No one said a thing as the room was once again plunged into awkward silence. The only thing discernable was the sound of their breathing, the rhythm choppy and forced, as if either of them were afraid that anything too loud would shatter the increasingly fragile atmosphere. Naruto wordlessly bent over his scroll and proceeded to put pen to paper. And just when Sasuke had resigned himself to another day of practical isolation with only the ticking of the clock beside him to listen to, he heard Naruto murmur, "You think I didn't try telling her?"

There was a small grin on the blonde's face as he glanced up at the Uchiha. And for all of Sasuke's self-control, he couldn't hide the slight twitch of his lips as his eyes met those of the truest blue.

Naruto turned back to his report, and Sasuke looked back on his incomplete chakra diagram. No one talked, but it was a different type of silence to the one that had transpired not ten minutes ago. It was comfortable. Content. And like all such silences, never lasted very long.

"Neh, Sasuke, do you remember that flower that was next to the jasmines? What's it called?"

"There were ten jasmine pots, dobe."

"Well," he paused to consult the scroll in front of him, "It was next to the wall of the house. And it was a really cool orange colour. And don't call me that, teme!"

"Idiot, there were at least twenty pots lined up along the side of the house."

Naruto frowned, turning the scroll this way and that as if trying to make sense of something on its surface. "I don't know. I think it's next to the water pipes…"

Sasuke sighed, pushing his project to the side and gesturing to the scroll in front of the blond. "Give it here, moron."

"Damn it, teme, you gotta stop calling me names! I already got one. It's Naruto. Na-ru-to. Come on, it ain't that hard."

Sasuke snorted, curling his fingers and gesturing again towards the scroll. Naruto rolled his eyes and slid the scroll across the table. Sasuke caught it easily. As he turned the scroll around to study the simple ink diagram of the garden layout of the blonde's previous client, Naruto moved over to his side of the table, pulling out a chair and straddling it back to front, looking at Sasuke expectantly. Sasuke looked up from the diagram. "Your scale's off."

"Pshh! My scale's fine."

"There are at least twenty pots along this wall. You've only drawn in ten."

"Jeez! Whatever! It's not like she'll know the difference! My diagrams are fine."

"Really. And who told you that? Your homicidal boyfriend?"

Naruto looked confused and slightly offended. "What?! I don't have a boyfriend!"

Sasuke didn't look persuaded. He pointed a finger to his left temple.

"Huh? You're talkin' about Gaara? He's not my boyfriend…" And then there was a rapidly growing blush on Naruto's face as the blond seemed to remember that particular incident.

Sasuke gave him a look as if to say '_Yeah, that. Who do you think you're kidding._'

Naruto was about to protest some more, but paused, a slightly worried look crossing his tanned features. "Wait, what do you mean 'homicidal'? Oh shit, he tried to do you in, didn't he?"

Sasuke's face was blank.

"Shit, he did! Aww, man, I'm so sorry. Gaara's just like that. He can get a little crazy at times."

The dark-haired nin raised a solemn brow, not confirming and yet not denying.

Naruto crossed his arms on top of the back of the chair he was straddling, creating a make-shift cushion for his chin to rest on. He casually blew an annoying strand of golden hair away from his eyes. "You know, he used to be even worse than this," the blond remarked mildly.

Sasuke grunted. "He said something about you saving him."

"Oh?" Naruto grinned. "Gaara's just being dramatic. I kicked his ass a few years ago, before he became the Kazekage. He just needed some of those homicidal tendencies knocked out of him."

"And you did that, did you, dobe?"

"Hell yeah, I did! A couple of punches and he was all bright hopes for the future." Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You know Neji, right? Yeah, he used to be all depressed and angsty as well, but more of the fate-is-so-unkind horoscope part and less of the I-will-bleed-you-dry thing that Gaara had going on. I beat him in my Chunin exams and now he's all determined and stuff." Naruto beamed, bringing a hand to rub the back of his own head, a faintly nostalgic look on his face. "Yeah, I guess some people just need to get it pounded into their head that they can choose a different path, you know? Sometimes, it takes a bit more for some people to see that their life ain't all that crappy."

Sasuke listened, and observed every subtle change of emotion that flitted across Naruto's face. So many. So, so many emotions. He was sure that he'd never met anyone so full of emotion before, and vaguely wondered how the blond ever became a shinobi with such an expressive face. For some reason, he didn't find that thought all too important. What mattered now was that he liked this current expression on Naruto's face. Liked how his eyes sparkled subtly with contentment, a genuine smile on his lips that spoke of more happiness than any of his loud, wide grins could ever portray. Bluest of blue eyes that gazed away on something that Sasuke himself couldn't see.

Sasuke gently frowned, and if his mind was any clearer he would have been horrified with himself at having such a childish thought. '_I want him to look at me._'

He found himself wanting that smile to be directed at him, those blue eyes on him. Right now. With that exact expression on his face. How could anyone have such a brilliant shade of blue for eyes, anyway?

"Sasuke, what are you doing?"

All thoughts came to a screeching stop and Sasuke blinked, realizing all too late that his face was now only a few inches away from the blonde's, who was wearing a very confused expression on his face. With his intelligent brain going into emergency overdrive, he veered himself off course slightly, making a big show of leaning over to grab the scroll in front of the blond (as if that was what he was aiming for all along) and bringing it in front of himself. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, we might as well get your report finished. It's going to take a while to make sense of your crappy diagram."

"Oi, don't look at it then if you think it's so crappy!"

"I want to be able to go to sleep tonight without hearing your pen scratching away."

"Wear some frickin' earmuffs then!"

"You mean earplugs."

"Whatever!"

**-LineBreak-**

Two hours later, Naruto proudly rolled up and tied his finished mission report, a big grin on his face as he stretched his arms and legs wide, letting out a satisfied groan as he relieved his aching joints. He slumped, boneless, onto his chair, and Sasuke crinkled his nose at the blonde's overly dramatic display.

"Thanks, teme." Naruto said, getting up from his seat and cracking his neck a couple of times. He attempted to muffle a giant yawn. "I'm gonna go take a nap. I don't think my body agrees with me waking up so early."

"Hn," Sasuke replied, refocusing back on his unfinished project now that there were no distractions.

As Naruto shuffled towards his bedroom, Sasuke's voice made him stop and turn around. "You know, Naruto…" Sasuke said, even though his eyes seemed to be focused on the paper in front of him, "I…I'm…" He paused, before continuing, "Your fighting's not half-bad."

Naruto waited for him to say something else, but when it became clear that that was the limit amount of words that Sasuke was willing to partake, he smiled. "Yeah? Well, your fighting's not half-bad either."

"Hn."

Naruto chuckled, and continued walking to his bedroom. _What a day it was indeed._

As the door closed and Sasuke was left with only the silence for company, he allowed himself a small smile. Perhaps he wasn't so bad at this apology thing after all. Not that he'd ever do it again, though.

Inside, Naruto splayed himself out on his bed, enjoying the cool feel of the sheets against his exposed arms as he smoothed them over the mattress. He smiled, eyes drooping shut. Really, Sasuke couldn't apologize worth shit, but it was the effort that counted. Yeah, the effort…

**-LineBreak-**

Many hours later, in a completely different setting filled with the harsh, punishing heat of the sun and the strange, arid beauty of the desert, a Chunin guard entered a vast office. The room was cold, cold and impersonal. The table in the middle was empty of any objects or trinkets that would show any sign as to the personality of its owner. 'What a weird guy,' the guard had thought, but shrugged that thought away almost immediately. Because, really, it wasn't his place to judge. He was just a guard, after all.

"Welcome back, Kazekage-sama. You asked for assistance?"

The figure by the window remained silent for a while, and, for a moment, the guard considered repeating his question. However, he was cut short before he could utter another word.

The Kazekage's cold voice seemed to echo through the room, even though it was really just barely more than a whisper. "Send for Baki. I want to see him immediately."

"Of course, Kazekage-sama."

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

-Sigh- Only four reviews for last chapter. I guess that would teach me for not updating consistently. -Sobs- I don't really want to think about how many readers I must have lost. Am I boring you guys?

Anyway, for the four of you who reviewed, thank you very much. You have no idea how much I appreciate feedback – whether it be long or short. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

And as a last note, I rushed to finish this chapter for you guys since I'm leaving tomorrow for holidays. I'm not sure if I'll be able to access an internet connection where I'm going, so I just wanted to update this chapter just in case I wind up not updating again for a month or so. I'll try my best to update though, join an internet café or something.

Thank you again for all who reviewed. And for the people who're still reading this story, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Please review!** I like to know that I'm writing for someone, and watching the 'hits' count rise isn't nearly as satisfying for an author as getting a real live review! Because, you know, just cause someone clicked on the story doesn't mean they liked it.

Hope you guys have a great holiday!

- Nine1991 -


	8. Letting Go of One's Inhibitions

**Author's Note:** Damn! I had wanted to keep my update to within two weeks, but I'm late by a few days. Won't keep you hanging, so just read away.

**Warning:** YAOI (Content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

**(now also known as 'Taof' – brilliant idea of JD01)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 8: Letting Go of One's Inhibitions

A bold stroke here. A thin stroke there. Everything precise and accurate, written in the neat, elegant print that was Sasuke's handwriting. His mother had been the one to teach him, had been the one to painstakingly sit through every evening with him for an hour, running through his kanji and making sure he could scribe out every character flawlessly. He remembered asking her when he was little why he had to strive for such impeccable handwriting when the other kids at his school were able to get along with just chicken scratch. She had then told him, with a patient smile on her face, that age was not an excuse for possessing illiterate lettering, at least not for any of _her_ children. Handwriting was a judge of character, and character was something that one could never develop too early.

He placed the finishing touches on his work before setting the brush down, sitting back in his seat and allowing the ink to seep in and dry. He glanced up at the clock on the wall beside him. It was 9:26, and he straightened up, promptly rolling up the finished scroll and tying it up with a piece of string. Naruto never failed to wake up at 9:30 sharp, unless it was over thirty degrees outside where he would then wake up ten minutes earlier, or raining, at which the snooze button would be pressed at least four more times meaning the blond would grace the world with his presence at around 9:50. And true enough, just as he pulled the knot tight, Naruto stumbled out of his bedroom, a fist rubbing at his eyes in a gesture that was more suitable to a child of six than a teenager of sixteen.

He shuffled over to where Sasuke was sitting, leaning one hand on the table and muffling a giant yawn with the other. "What are you doing, teme?" he asked, looking at the scroll with apparent interest.

Sasuke shrugged, slipping the scroll into the pack hanging on the back of his seat before the blond would start getting grabby. "None of your concern."

Naruto pouted. When he realized that Sasuke wasn't going to give, he let out a loud huff, turning around and muttering darkly under his breath. "Stingy bastard." He marched over to the sofa, where he stretched widely before collapsing onto the soft cushions.

Sasuke watched as the blond proceeded to get comfortable, still in his bright orange pajamas. Well, this was different. "Shouldn't you be getting dressed, dobe?"

Naruto gave Sasuke a sideward glance, eyebrows raised. "I should, shouldn't I?"

"Hn."

Naruto's lips tilted into a smirk before giving way to a small yawn. He buried his face in one of the sofa cushions, blond locks contrasting against the dark colour of the fabric. "Well, I don't wanna," came the blonde's muffled remark. Just as Sasuke was about to ask what the hell that actually meant, Naruto lifted his head from the cushion, grinning lazily. "'Cause it's my day off today!"

Sasuke raised a single, elegant brow – his version of 'please explain more'.

Naruto sighed, resting his chin on the armrest and allowing his arm to dangle over the edge of the couch. "It's my birthday today," he said matter of factly, "Baa-chan let me off."

There was a pause, then –

"Happy birthday," Sasuke grunted.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Please, don't choke yourself with your overwhelming enthusiasm."

"Hn."

"I know! How about you buy me ramen tomorrow!"

Quiet.

"Heh. I'll take that as a yes."

There was the loud scraping of a chair and Naruto's gaze raised a fraction as Sasuke stood up. The dark-haired shinobi picked up his vest, which was folded over the back of the chair beside his, and proceeded to slide his arms into it. "Since you have the day off, I guess this means that you will be joining me for a spar?" Sasuke asked, his voice carefully schooled into a casual tone as he fiddled with the zipper of his Jounin vest. Naruto cocked his head to the side. Why wasn't Sasuke looking at him?

"Nup, not interested."

"Fine," came Sasuke's cool, clipped remark, and Naruto was surprised at the abrupt change in tone. Before Naruto could even comprehend what the hell he did wrong, Sasuke was already at the door and about to leave. The blond hurriedly sat himself up from his laying position and, catching sight of Sasuke's weapons pouch on the small coffee table beside him, grabbed it.

"Sasuke!" he hollered, and threw the small leather bag in the direction of its owner. Sasuke twirled around just in time to catch the strap in one outstretched hand. "Look, bastard, how about tomorrow?"

When Sasuke's face remained blank, Naruto huffed loudly, shoving the beginnings of a fringe away from his face. "The spar! How about tomorrow?" Sasuke hesitated, and Naruto saw it fit a time to elaborate. "Look, it's not that I don't wanna spar with you, but I'm just really, really lazy today, okay?"

"Moron," Sasuke muttered, and Naruto didn't know if he should feel relieved or irritated that that goddamn you-are-inferior smirk was back on his bodyguard's face, "What makes you think I want you to spar with me, anyway?"

Naruto gaped. "Er…maybe because you just asked me?!"

"Hn. Whatever. Just sit on your fat ass all day."

Naruto's face coloured a blotchy red. "Teme! You wish you had my ass!"

**-LineBreak-**

Sasuke forced down a smile as he closed the door, muffling Naruto's screeches in the process. Really, he needed to practice better self control over his emotions. It just never used to feel as difficult as it did now. He frowned at the door he had just closed, through which he could still vaguely hear the loud, incessant ramblings of the blond he was assigned to guard. Naruto really was dangerous, in a silent, roundabout way that would creep up on you when you were least aware. Lately, he had caught his control slipping. The emotionless mask that he had prided himself in – cracking, fracturing. Delicate chips in the porcelain. And to think that throughout his whole life he had thought that danger was defined by a well-aimed kunai or a powerful jutsu.

'_You're a threat, and you don't even know it_,' Sasuke thought, as he placed a hand on the surface of the door. He could practically _feel_ Naruto's bursting personality through the timber. Pulsing. Sasuke sighed, his hand sliding down the wooden surface of the door and falling at his side. He grimaced. '_God, get a grip of yourself._'

He started walking – down the hallway, down the steps – lest he lose himself in his thoughts again. Through the sixth floor. Fifth. Fourth. Third. As a light coloured double-door with a dark frame came into sight, he stuck his arm out slightly, allowing the fingers of his left hand to flutter over its smooth surface as he passed it. His nerves tingled as the slight chakra backlash sizzled through his fingers, along his hand and up his arm. This time, he allowed the small smile to grace his lips. '_Tonight…will be a big step._'

He continued to walk, through the second floor (where the snores of Tsunade could be heard from in the Hokage's office), through the first and, inwardly flinching as his eyes were suddenly blinded by sunlight, through the entrance. He made his way down the steps that lead to the village, taking two at a time, allowing his legs to stretch and muscles to warm up and enjoying the slight tingling feeling it left behind. So when he did reach ground level and was barreled into by an old man carrying a heavy sac of goods, he felt generous enough to bend down and help pick up the various fruits and vegetables scattered across the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" the old man started, getting down on his hands and knees and hurriedly gathering the apples and oranges that were rolling left and right. "That was completely my fault!"

"It's fine," Sasuke grunted, collecting the cucumbers that had landed near him. He got up and handed them over to the man, who was busy putting everything back into his sac and dusting himself off. The old man smiled and took the vegetables, depositing them into the sac before hoisting it onto his back once more.

He bowed. "Thank you, sir." And when he looked up, there was a thoughtful expression on his face as he looked Sasuke up and down. "Ah, you must be a shinobi."

Sasuke remained silent, not knowing exactly where this was going, but gave a curt nod all the same. The old man beamed, swinging the sac he had just finished repacking around so that he could ruffle through its contents. A few seconds later, he pulled out a large, red apple, polishing it on his shirt then grabbing one of Sasuke's hands and pushing it into his open palm. The man smiled, closing Sasuke's pale fingers over the ruby-red skin of the apple. "Here, take this as a gift for doing such a wonderful job." Sasuke looked wary, but accepted the apple all the same. The old man chuckled cheerfully, giving Sasuke a gentle pat on the shoulder. "It's because of shinobi like you that the village was able to hold back the demon all those years ago." He glanced up at the clear, blue sky, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "It is as good a day as any for the annual Kyuubi festival. The gods share our celebrations. Don't you think so, sir?"

Sasuke nodded warily, and the man gave one last cheerful smile before walking away in the direction of the market square, whistling a happy tune.

There was the sound of loud, childish laughter and Sasuke stepped aside just as a group of young kids scrabbled past. One little boy stumbled and fell, his limbs sprawled on the floor and something wooden clackled as it skidded across the dirt. The little boy hurriedly got up, scuttling over to pick up the fallen object and placing it over his face. A mask, Sasuke realized. And when the little boy looked discreetly left and right to see if anyone had caught his clumsy blunder, Sasuke could see the simple, colourful design etched into the face – pointed ears and slanted, red, sinister eyes with broad whisker marks. A fox.

The little boy hastily patted the dirt off of his pants and took off, running after his group of friends.

Sasuke looked on as the boy disappeared into the busy crowd of people, a curious expression on his face.

**-LineBreak-**

"…really…not gonna work…"

"…quickly…he's going to…back soon…"

"…troublesome…"

Sasuke sighed as he opened the door, the sight that greeted him causing his brows to rise into his hairline.

"Aww shit!" Kiba cursed from his crouched position beside Sasuke's bed, quickly flinging the blankets back over the mattress. Sasuke felt his eye twitch as he glared at Kiba's guilty expression, his gaze switching to the lumps covered by his blankets and – _What the hell! Was his mattress squirming?!_

The sound of light footsteps drew nearer and Naruto's voice rang through the room. "Are you ready, Kiba!? Take your sweet time! You know, he could be back any min…uh…" Naruto slowed down to a stop, his mouth frozen mid-syllable as his eyes went wide at seeing Sasuke standing by the open doorway.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked crisply, tone even. For the moment, at least.

Naruto seemed to snap out of his daze, his jaw snapping shut into a sheepish smile as his hands, which were holding a peculiar jar of some kind, slipped behind his back. "Heh, didn't know you'd be back so early! Good workout?"

"What are you hiding behind your back?"

Naruto flushed. "Jeez, Sasuke, what are you talking abou-"

"What is that in my _bed_?" Sasuke growled, and Naruto winced. The blond shot a nervous glance at Kiba, who shot back an equally expressive look that seemed to scream 'we are so screwed'.

Sasuke strode over to his bed, ignoring Naruto's choked protests, and flung open the covers. The twitch in his eye seemed to speed up a mile a minute as he registered the solid, black objects scattered and _moving_ on his sheets. Sasuke's voice came out a low and threatening, "You put _scorpions_ in my bed?!" He flashed a piercing glare in Naruto's direction, before turning to Kiba.

"Woah, dude!" Kiba yelped, raising his hands defensively before pointing at his blond friend, "Totally Naruto's idea."

Naruto shot Kiba a withering look. He laughed awkwardly when he faced Sasuke again. "Look, man, lighten up. It was just a joke."

When Sasuke's glare didn't seem to decrease in intensity in the slightest, Naruto gulped. "We'll pack everything up."

"_We?_" Kiba protested, looking skeptical.

"Yes, '_we_'," Naruto snarled, "It was your idea to use the spiders as well!" He brought out the jar he was hiding from behind his back, allowing Sasuke a clear view of the half a dozen or so large, hairy spiders crawling inside.

At seeing Sasuke's dangerously narrowing eyes, Kiba piped up, "Yep! We'll pack everything up!"

"Tsk, idiots. I told you your troublesome prank wasn't going to work," drawled the figure laying splayed out on the couch, hands folded lazily behind his head. Shikamaru gave Sasuke a small nod in greeting. Sasuke nodded back.

"Jeez, Shika, such a party pooper!" came Kiba's boisterous comment.

Shikamaru sighed, bringing up a hand to rub his temples. "Your stupid ideas make me tired."

Naruto snorted as he scooped up another scorpion. "Getting up from your bed in the morning makes you tired."

"That too," Shikamaru muttered, as he placed an arm over his eyes.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and saw it fit to drag himself away from the pointless chatter, walking over to the dining table where a solemn, long-haired male sat drinking tea, observing the chaos from the sidelines. Hyuuga Neji gave Sasuke the smallest of nods before holding his teacup up slightly. "I hope you don't mind that I fix myself some of your tea. I find Naruto's usual form of beverages quite unpalatable."

"That's fine," was Sasuke's curt reply as he fixed himself a cup, sitting down and taking slow, delicate sips of the steaming liquid.

"Well, lookie here! We've got a sophisticated corner," Naruto muttered as he glanced in the direction of Sasuke and Neji. Kiba snorted loudly, shoveling the last of the scorpions into their appropriate jar and sealing the lid.

"Finish!" the canine ninja cheered, dramatically collapsing on the floor, limbs sprawled.

Naruto sighed, bringing the jar of scorpions up to his face and looking at the small, crawling figures almost wistfully. "Shame, it would've been an awesome prank too."

"I double that," Kiba agreed.

There was a shuffling at the door and no sooner had all the occupants of the room turned to look at it that three girls entered, each holding onto the side of a large, orange cake, a chubby boy following behind them. Chouji stomped over to the couch, sitting himself down on the floor and leaning against the armrest as he plunged his hand into the bag of sweet buns that he had picked from the bakery. Ino grinned and Sakura smiled, Hinata blushing demurely as they all presented the cake to a pleasantly surprised Naruto.

"We can't have a birthday party without a cake, now can we?" Ino remarked cattily.

"Al-although it's a s-shame that half the group are o-on missions," Hinata whispered.

Naruto gave the pale-eyed girl a grateful grin, patting her arm gently (which almost cost the kunoichi to drop her side of the cake). "Nah, they'll just have to treat me to ramen when they get back!"

Sakura chuckled, shaking her head slightly as she gave him a warm smile. "Happy birthday, Naruto."

"Thanks, guys."

And even though the gentle, ethereal glow of the flickering candles in the darkened room did look very pretty, Sasuke was quite sure that, at that moment, there was nothing prettier than Naruto's happy smile as he took in a deep breath to blow out the seventeen tiny, dancing flames.

**-LineBreak-**

"Thanks for everything, guys!"

Sakura pulled Naruto into a hug. "Iruka-sensei told me to tell you that he's really sorry that he couldn't make it, but that he'll take you out for ramen as soon as he's finished helping out the academy." She pulled back, surveying him at arm's length. "Is there anything you want me to get you from the festival?"

Naruto shook his head, a genuine smile on his face. "Naw, it's fine. But thanks anyway, Sakura-chan."

Chouji piped up from his place next to the door, "Hey, Naruto! I heard that there'll be a limited edition special-flavoured ramen stand. I'll bring some back for you."

"_I'll_ bring it, since you holding it runs the risk of it disappearing before even reaching Naruto," Ino snapped.

"Aaww, Ino-chan!"

Naruto laughed at his friends' antics, waving goodbye as they left one by one.

"Ano…Naruto-kun…"

Naruto turned around to face a fiercely blushing Hinata, who was busy trying to avoid meeting his eyes and tapping her pointer fingers together shyly.

"F-for the fireworks display t-tonight…if you're l-lonely…I mean…I could come back a-and watch it w-with y-"

But she was cut off by Neji's smooth voice. "Hinata-sama, you should be returning home. Your father will be wondering where you are."

Hinata shot a helpless glance at Neji, squeaking out a "H-hai, Neji-niisan." before giving Naruto a shaky smile and hurrying out the door.

Naruto gave Neji an exasperated look. "You're still so harsh on her."

"She is to be clan leader one day. She needs to be able to handle harshness in her stride," was Neji's cool reply.

Naruto sighed.

Neji placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, surveying Naruto through milky-white eyes, giving the blond a small nod before letting his hand fall back at his side and walking towards the door. Before Neji could place his hand on the doorknob, Naruto called out behind him. "Hey, Neji!" Naruto shouted, a grin on his face, "Do me a favour and actually _have_ some fun tonight, will ya?"

The edges of Neji's lips quirked into a small smile before he exited the room quietly.

Naruto stood there for a while, staring thoughtfully at the door through which all his friends had just left. He let out a small, contented sigh, swiveled on his heel and cheerfully bounded towards the dining table where a third of the large, ridiculously _orange_ cake remained. The girls had cleaned up all the dishes, but left the storing of the cake up to him since they didn't really know where to put it. Naruto carried the cake to the kitchen, where he sliced it into smaller, more storable portions, taking out a couple of boxes with which to store them in. "Hey, bastard, you sure you don't want any cake?" Naruto hollered, placing one of the slices neatly into a box.

"I don't like sweets," Sasuke replied from his spot on the couch as he watched Naruto seal up all the boxes and place them one by one in strategic spots in the fridge.

"Tsk. Your loss," Naruto said airily, wiping his hands and throwing the empty cake box into the rubbish bin. He walked over to the couch, plonking himself down next to Sasuke, who gave him a small glare as the seats bounced slightly. "You know, I feel kind of guilty that you're stuck here with me and can't go to festival."

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't like crowds."

"Keh, what _do_ you like?" Naruto muttered to himself quietly, even though Sasuke caught it anyway. The dark-haired shinobi chose not to reply.

They remained in comfortable silence for a while, watching the small, slightly blurry television set report something that might have been the weather, neither of them really paying any actual attention as they chose to just soak in the calm, peaceful atmosphere. That was, until Sasuke surprisingly spoke up. "Why…aren't you going to the festival?" he asked, turning around to look at Naruto, underlying curiosity in his tone.

Naruto looked mildly surprised as he glanced at Sasuke, his mouth parted slightly and his brow gently furrowed. Sasuke blinked, before turning away, muttering, "It's nothing. I was just wondering."

Naruto shook his head a little. "Nah, it's fine. The villagers don't like me much, that's all. Especially today. They may get a little…nasty…and I'd be pushing my luck if I start strutting out there into the crowds."

"Why don't they like you?" Sasuke was starting to look interested.

Naruto shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "Heh, they think I kinda bring bad luck or something. You know how the Kyuubi no Youko attacked Konoha seventeen years ago?" He glanced at Sasuke and Sasuke nodded. "Well, a couple of villagers found me abandoned by the gates early that day, just before the Kyuubi attacked. So everyone kind of believed that I was the cause of the Kyuubi attacking the village. The older generation don't like me very much." Naruto looked thoughtful. "That, or maybe they just don't like my pranks."

Sasuke raised a single, thin brow. "Troublemaker?"

Naruto grinned. "You bet! Got kicked from orphanage to orphanage!" Naruto boasted, as if it was something to be extremely proud of. His grin simmered down to a gentle smile. "But then baa-chan got me into the academy and Iruka-sensei took care of me." He ran a hand through his unruly blond hair. "Don't know where I'd be without them."

Sasuke was quiet and Naruto snuck a peek at his bodyguard's stoic face. "So what about you, bastard? What's your life like? You pansy-assed bastard, I bet you came from some rich, prestigious clan."

"My clan was wiped out by a rogue nin when I was ten."

For a moment, there was a stunned silence as no one spoke. Then –

"I'm sorry to hear that," Naruto whispered.

"Whatever." Sasuke shrugged, as if it wasn't that big a deal.

Naruto fidgeted a little, bit his lip lightly before asking, "So, did someone take you in or something?"

Sasuke shook his head. "My clan was located on the outskirts of the country. We didn't belong to any particular village. So I wandered around for a couple of years until I came across…Sunagakure."

"Oh," Naruto murmured, "Must have sucked not having a home to belong to, huh?"

"Something like that."

It was quiet once more, and both occupants of the room seemed occupied with their own thoughts. Naruto sat, staring unseeingly at the television screen while Sasuke idly observed the sky outside the open window.

"Say, Sasuke. What are your friends like back in Suna?"

A cool breeze entered the room and gently swept Sasuke's dark bangs. He allowed them to fall across the left of his cheek. "I don't enjoy socializing."

Naruto scrambled up from his slouched position, mouth agape. "You don't have any friends?!"

Sasuke would have grunted had Naruto given him the chance.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be the leader of a youth group or something, but you should at least have _some_ friends." Naruto tapped his own chin thoughtfully. "Hey, maybe you can have my friends!"

Sasuke groaned, wishing he hadn't answered in the first place.

"Obviously you can't have _have_ them, but since you've already met them and that makes you acquaintances, we can share! I think you and Neji would get along well since you're both cold bastards, but -"

"Naruto…" Sasuke muttered, trying to get a word in edgewise. No, he was _not_ going to cover his ears with a couch cushion. He was not.

"-on second thought maybe you shouldn't since you'd probably undo all the hard work I put into making Neji remotely sociable. And knowing you, you'd probably just sip tea all day or something. But Shika's pretty cool, even though he's sometimes-"

Sasuke brought up a hand to massage his temple. "Naruto…"

"-as lazy as fuck, but he's a genius, you know? I bet he'd whoop your ass in shougi even with your creepy red eye thingy. And Shino's pretty awesome too, though you're gonna have to take my word for it since he's currently on a mission. He has this crazy as technique where he can control-"

"Naruto…" Could the idiot's mouth move any faster?

"-bugs and everything and he actually lets them feed off of – mmph!!" Naruto eyes widened as he suddenly found his lips sealed. By another pair of lips no less. His body froze, remained stock-still as his mind tried to comprehend what exactly was happening. Sasuke was…Sasuke was kissing him?

The quiet that followed was a relief to Sasuke's ears, but only fueled the burning feeling in his chest. He didn't know what made him move those twelve inches, apart from the sudden need to close those ever-moving lips. But right now, he couldn't care less. All he could see were those pretty, pretty blue eyes, opened so wide that he could see every hue, every shade, the periwinkle blue progressively intensifying to a deep azure as it got closer to the pupil.

He shifted slightly and all of sudden was completely, utterly aware of their connected lips. '_Soft_,' was the first thought that came to Sasuke's mind. Indeed, Naruto's lips were soft, though slightly chapped, and yes, they did feel pleasant against his own. Those blue (_cobalt, sapphire, azure_, Sasuke's mind seemed to whisper, because, really, there were so many shades that the word 'blue' couldn't possibly do it justice) eyes, laced with surprise and curiosity, widened before slowly sliding shut, and Sasuke followed soon afterwards. Was there any point in keeping them open if there was no longer anything important to see?

He pressed his lips a little harder into Naruto's own, enjoying how the soft skin seemed to give and cushion his lips. And yet there was this annoying dry spot, which always managed to grate across his bottom lip in the most annoying fashion. So Sasuke slipped his tongue out to gently swipe across the spot, with intentions of allowing his own moisture to seep into the flesh and smoothen out the skin. Naruto made a soft sound high in his throat that could have been a suppressed moan, but Sasuke didn't care, too preoccupied with the fact that Naruto's lips had _parted_ and how inviting it seemed. He slipped his tongue inside, and was immediately assaulted with the taste of the cake that Naruto had eaten earlier – vanilla and orange and sweet, sweet icing – and thought that maybe, just maybe, sweets weren't so bad and that he wouldn't mind having this kind of dessert every day.

He dazedly explored the warm orifice, subconsciously mapping out every ridge, every dip, every contour. He gently nudged the still organ in the blonde's mouth, coaxing it to join him, to move with him. And Naruto responded, timidly at first, but surely. Sasuke groaned into the kiss. _Kami-sama! It felt so much better with cooperation._

And it seemed Naruto was getting bolder and bolder, if the warm hand on the hem of his shirt was any indication. The hand slipped underneath his shirt, and Sasuke shivered slightly, his senses suddenly working overtime so that he could feel every single shift in the skin-on-skin contact. He could _feel_ the hand as it moved slowly up the flat planes of his stomach, could almost _see_ it in his mind's eye, the tan against pale-white, as it ghosted over his skin, creating goosebumps in its wake. The fingers slid smoothly over the unyielding abdominal muscles, up to the firmness of his chest and gently, inquisitively, brushed over a nipple. Sasuke let out a low moan against Naruto lips and brought up his own hand to curl itself in those bright, golden locks, yanking the blond forward and mashing their lips together with even more force. Naruto responded in kind.

The hand under Sasuke's shirt was still in motion, a thumb swirling lazily over the rim of the nub – playfully, teasingly – before the whole hand splayed, palm flat, over the left side of Sasuke's chest, as if wanting to feel and count every pulsing heartbeat. It wouldn't be hard either, Sasuke vaguely thought to himself. He could practically _hear_ his own heartbeat considering how fast his heart was going.

Sasuke tilted Naruto's head slightly for better access as he plundered the blonde's mouth, using the fingers of the hand that was buried in Naruto's hair to soothingly massage the boy's scalp. Naruto groaned loudly and Sasuke saw this as encouragement. He slid a hand down to the hem of the boy's shirt, just as Naruto had done a few minutes before, slipping under the fabric to rub the pad of his thumb over the slightly protruding hip bone.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto brought a hand up to Sasuke's shoulder, holding him firmly back, sliding his hand out from underneath Sasuke's shirt. The blond was panting heavily and, to his credit, Sasuke actually looked dazed, not to mention confused at the sudden loss of sensation. Naruto licked his lips before letting out a shaky breath. "I…uh…that was…" he started, but tapered off, not meeting Sasuke's gaze.

When Sasuke's heartbeat had slowed down to a more or less normal rate and the curling heat in his stomach had lessened exponentially, he sighed, subconsciously straightening his crumpled shirt. He glanced at Naruto, his voice awkward as he began, "I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have-"

"Nah, it's fine," Naruto cut in, the lingering red on is cheeks and a weird smile on his face as he looked at Sasuke before turning away once again.

There was quiet again and, strangely enough, Sasuke was getting sick of it. Could they even go through a day without awkward silences?

"I think," Naruto started, gnawing nervously on his bottom lip, "I think I'll go to sleep early today." He didn't wait for an answer as he got up and strode to his bedroom, closing the door gently behind him.

Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to suppress the incoming headache. _Why the hell was he screwing everything up lately?_

He glanced over at the clock and read 7:49. It was time to get ready.

As he got up to prepare, he licked his suddenly too-dry lips and all he tasted was vanilla and orange and sweet, sweet icing.

**-LineBreak-**

The full moon high in the sky casted its luminescent glow on the Hokage Tower, but it didn't retract in the slightest from the dark figure's expert maneuvers. The figure crept through the halls and down the stairs, aided by the darkness provided by the night as he made his way down the tower and to the third floor. He halted, all limbs still, before abruptly bringing his hands up to blur through a set of hands seals. His hands fell back to his sides and he froze, just as a Jounin appeared, climbing up the steps at the opposite end. The figure seemed to stop breathing all together, and the Jounin continued to walk, closer and closer until-

-he completely walked past, seemingly completely unaware of the figure standing frozen not two metres away from him. The figure turned to look at the retreating back of the Jounin guard as the shinobi continued to walk away, turning a corner and out of sight.

Sasuke glanced up at the moon's position in the sky, calculating that he had about 25 minutes before the ninja on guard duty would finish a full patrol circle and return to this exact same spot. He sent out another wisp of chakra, scouting for any more nearby chakra signatures, encountering only a slight fluctuation which he ignored before continuing down the hallway. When the light door with its noticeable dark, wooden frame came into sight, Sasuke slowed down. He stopped in front of it, running his gaze up and down its innocently plain surface before bringing his left thumb up to his mouth and _biting_. Blood started to seep from the resulting cut and Sasuke brought his hand up to the door, pressing his wounded thumb against the pale wood and leaving one long, bloody stroke as he dragged it all the way down.

The mark remained there, a stark red against the light brown of the door, that is, until the door started to _glow_, and the stain started to fade, or rather, _sink_ into the timber. The door was once again clean, if only for a moment, until symbols started to materialize, written in the same dark crimson that had just recently smeared its surface. The symbols then seemed to move, seemed to dance as they arranged themselves in a complex circular pattern, glowing dully before halting and turning an inky, black. The glow receded and the symbols remained, as if they had been painted there and not just recently appeared out of the wood.

Sasuke shrugged the sac he was carrying off his shoulders and undid the knot tying it closed, reaching inside and withdrawing a plain-looking scroll. He dropped the sac onto the floor, using both hands to unravel the scroll as he made sure it was the right way up. He placed it, face up, over the symbols on the surface of the door, adjusting and tilting it slightly so that what was written on the scroll more or less formed a template over the design. Heat surged through his hands as he applied chakra into the paper, the complex design painted on it turning a light blue as the paper started to brown, singeing at the edges. When the whole paper had burned away to nothing, the design that was previously on the scroll was now etched into the door, a stenciling of blue over the original black.

Sasuke smirked as he flashed his sharingan up at the moon.

18 more minutes to go.

…

Naruto glanced at the clock on his bedside table and jumped out of bed, fully dressed in a casual top and his shinobi pants. He quickly put on his shoes before making his way to the window, casting one last lingering look at the bedroom door before pulling himself up onto the sill and slipping out. Unknown to the blond, the unseen chakra barrier rippled slightly as it was breeched by the familiar chakra signature. And perhaps Sasuke would have registered the slight disturbance in the barrier he had constructed, but frankly-

-Sasuke wasn't there.

Naruto applied chakra to the soles of his feet, scaling swiftly down the side of the Hokage tower and avoiding any other windows illuminated by the light of the moon. When he was near ground level, he leaped, flipping through the air and landing lightly on all fours. He pulled himself up and started to run, in the direction of the forest and, in the distance, the mountain engraved with the faces of the previous Hokages.

…

Tsunade sighed as she glanced at the huge crowd of villagers that she was to speak before in a few minutes time. She rubbed her temples tiredly, feeling more than ever the migraine that had stemmed from the meeting she had just left from. "Goddamn elders," she grumbled to herself, and Shizune shot her a worried look, at which she waved her hands dismissively in reply. Shizune nodded and stepped back, allowing the Hokage to step up onto the raised platform. Loud cheers sounded from the audience.

She walked straight into the middle, where she was able to survey all corners of the assembled crowd. Tsunade raised a hand into the air, a signal for the villagers to quiet down as she prepared to speak. She scanned the crowds, taking in every set of eyes – elderly, mature or young – and smiled.

"Citizens of Konoha-"

…

Sasuke brought up his hands to perform the set of hand seals that he had remembered off by heart, each one corresponding to the symbols written on the blue seal of his own design. He took a deep breath and started, his hands swiftly and precisely going through each of the positions. There were 109 he had to go through and it would suck if he messed one up and had to start all over again.

…

Naruto hoisted himself up, finally on level ground as he collapsed, exhausted, on the Yondaime's head. It would have been easier and a lot faster to just take the roundabout path through the forest rather than scaling the face of the mountain outright, but it was practically tradition and he did enjoy the warm, tingling aftermath of a good workout.

He splayed himself out on the Yondaime's head, cushioning his own with his folded arms as he gazed up at the dark, inky sky. The view from the Hokage Tower was not even nearly as good as it was here. Soon, baa-chan would finish her speech and the fireworks would start.

_Yeah._ And Naruto smiled. _The pretty, pretty fireworks._

…

"-Seventeen years ago, the Kyuubi no Youko attacked this very village. Homes were destroyed, lives were lost, families torn apart and Konoha herself was mortally wounded, in great disarray." Tsunade's eyes swept the crowd, lingering on a few of the older generation who were nodding their heads in agreement.

"The Fourth sacrificed his life to defeat the wretched demon," she continued, sweeping her hand in the direction of the Hokage mountain, where indeed the Yondaime's stern face watched from afar, "Giving Konoha a new life, a new chance to start over and prosper." Her lips pulled into a smile. "And now here we are, seventeen years later-"

…

'_58…57…56…_' Sasuke counted absently, as his hands carried out the needed hand seals. Everything had to be perfect, precise, or otherwise it wouldn't work. He didn't have the time for a second try. The crimson of his bloodline technique was clearly evident as he watched the complex seal placed on the door slowly unravel, observed as every time he performed a hand seal, its counterpart that he had transferred from the scroll onto the timber glowed from blue to a blinding white, enveloping the black markings of the original seal until none of the symbol remained.

'_51…50…49…48…_'

…

Naruto let out a satisfied sigh as he adjusted his arms, putting it into a better position to support his head. Any minute now, the fireworks would start. Any minute-

"…re you sure it'll be there?"

"Positive. I heard it from a reliable source."

Naruto pulled his upper body up onto his elbows, looking curiously in the direction of the voices that seemed to be steadily approaching. No one ever came to the Hokage mountain on the night of the Kyuubi festival. So who…?

"Do you think this is such a wise idea? What if it attacks us?" The voice sounded neither young nor old, but if not a little panicky.

"Don't worry. I know how to control it." A gruff, scratchy voice replied. A man, definitely.

Naruto moved to stand up. He could hear the crunching of footsteps now. There seemed to be more than two people. Perhaps a small group of six or seven.

"Can you really, Hiro? Where did you learn to do that?" A younger voice this time, eager and excited. The footsteps seemed to be around the corner, and Naruto took a wary step back.

"Let's call it a lucky opportunity."

And Naruto gave a suspicious look as a group of seven men appeared on the landing. His eyes lingered on their hands, which were holding a variety of metal tools and pipes, some even carrying knives. The man furthest in front, who Naruto assumed was the leader, looked to be about in his mid-thirties, and a Chuunin it seemed, judging from the old, tattered shinobi vest he was wearing.

The man smiled widely as his eyes locked on Naruto. "Lookie here, boys! I told you it'd be here." He grinned, an ugly grin showing yellow, crooked teeth. "Well well well. Long time no see, demon. Do you remember me?"

…

"-We have healed and repaired. We have developed and prospered." Tsunade gestured a hand towards the wide-eyed children standing in the front row. "We have thrived and grown." She paused for effect, boring her amber eyes into those of the crowd. "We have proven once again, that Konoha will always manage to pick itself up, will always manage to rise from the ashes, will always be a force to be reckoned with."

A couple of people cheered, and Tsunade smiled, raising her hands to restore the quiet. "And now-"

…

'_29…28…27…_'

Almost there, Sasuke thought. Only a small portion of the circular seal remained to be unlocked. He slowed down slightly. It wouldn't do to mess up when he was so close to the end.

'_24…23…22…_'

…

Naruto dodged as one of the men clumsily swung at him with a steel pipe, narrowly veering out of the way as another lashed out at him from the side with a butcher knife. His hands groped at his side for a kunai or even a shuriken would do, only to discover that he hadn't brought his weapons pouch with him. After all, he had only wanted to watch the fireworks.

As a hammer was flung his way, he flipped, somersaulting through the air and landing eight or so metres away from the unruly group of men. He mentally ran through his options. Getting away wasn't one of them, since the only way out was via the forest path and that was only accessible through the group of men. Behind him, a sheer drop from the forehead of the First as the mountain ended and the sky began. He was pulled out of his frantic thoughts as a barrage of small needles were shot his way, narrowly missing the assault as he rolled to the side. The leader grinned, flashing his ugly yellow teeth as he brought his hands up to perform another jutsu.

Naruto's hands also flew up, almost reflexively, to perform the hand seal for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. But before he could manage to completely focus his chakra to perform the technique, his thoughts were jarred by the man's voice.

"Ah ah ah," the man taunted, waggling a finger from side to side, "Rule number two, demon. Have you forgotten?"

And for the first time since the fight had started, Naruto's body completely froze.

…

"-through our dedication and unity, through our bond as the citizens of one village, we have shown just how powerful Konoha truly is. That even against a demon, we have faced and won." The audience was rapt, and not a single voice disturbed the Hokage's speech. Tsunade continued, "So today, as we hold the annual festival that symbolizes the defeat of the Kyuubi no Youko, I would just like to say-"

…

'_14…13…12…_'

Almost finished. So close.

'_11…10…9…_'

…

The man stepped calmly up to Naruto, who's expression was blank as he remained standing in the exact same spot.

One of the younger men from the group reached out a hand, as if to stop their leader from stepping any closer. "Hiro-san! It's not safe!"

The man only grinned, not even hesitating in the slightest. He shot over his shoulder, "It's okay, men. He's as harmless as a kitten, now." He sneered as he stopped directly in front of Naruto, looking directly into those blank blue eyes. "Aren't you?"

There was no response from the blond, who only remained still, like a mannequin.

"So tell me, demon. Do you still eat off the floor or have you learnt how to use a plate?"

Then there was a loud 'thwack' sound and Naruto slumped to the ground as he was harshly backhanded. He lay on the floor, unmoving, though still completely conscious and aware of the goings on around him. The man smugly adjusted the metal fitted around his knuckles as he watched the crimson blood slowly seep from the edge of the blonde's lips.

…

"-that as the leader of this village, and having seen the unity, and the love that every citizen has shared," she smiled warmly, "Of this village, of this community, I am proud to call myself your Hokage-"

…

'_7…6…_'

Nearly finished.

'_5…4…_'

…

He was aware of the painful throbbing of his cheek, aware of the shadows falling upon him as the group of men gathered around his fallen form. But still he couldn't move. Wouldn't. Couldn't. Wouldn't, couldn't, wouldn't, couldn't –

-Can't.

There was another flash of pain and he could feel a rib crack as someone kicked him in the side. And again…again…again. From all sides. So much pain. And he could vaguely hear their snarls –

"…fucking demon…"

"…you deserve the pain…"

"…this is nothing to all the suffering you caused…"

A searing pain shot through his shoulder and down his arm as a knife pierced the flesh. And all he could do was stare up, not at the faces of his attackers, but at the sky.

The inky black sky. Waiting…waiting…waiting…

…

"-So noting that, I, your Hokage, am happy to declare-"

…

'_3…2…1…_'

…

If he could just hold out a minute. Just a minute. Ignore the pain for just a minute. And look at the sky. But it could look so much prettier…

…

"-Let the celebrations begin!"

And then there was cheering, the signal for the shop venders to light their fireworks.

…

Sasuke smiled as the last symbol dissipated, and the doors flung open without even a single creak. He stepped through it without even a backwards glance.

…

And then there was light and sound as the sky erupted into a myriad of colours. Pretty. Beautiful. Breathtakingly enchanting.

And even through the excruciating pain rippling through his entire body, Naruto managed to smile a small smile, the kaleidoscope of colour against the backdrop of black reflected clearly in his eyes.

Then…

…everything went dark.

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

So, how'd you guys like this chapter? I'm really sorry if I confused anyone during the last portion of it. I had it going really awesomely and dramatically in my head, but I don't know if I conveyed it very well in words and story format. – hangs head – If only I was talented enough to be able to give you guys a video clip or something. Anyway, if you're confused by any part of what happened, feel free to leave a question and I will surely get back to you on it. And I'm sorry that it took so long (you guys must be getting really sick of my apologies), and halfway through the chapter I had figured that I would just paste the half and give you the other half later, but changed my mind since that would kind of ruin the rhythm of the story that I'd planned.

Oh, and do tell me **how the make-out scene went**. This is my first time ever writing anything remotely steamy (you have no idea how long it took for me to spit out that part of the chapter), and I'd really like to know your thoughts on it. Feel free to hit me with it if you thought it was completely horrible and that I should never stick my experienceless self into writing anything remotely sexual ever again.

Thank you for waiting patiently. **And please, please pretty please review!!! Any feedback is welcome, especially constructive criticism.**

And thank you to the 13 people who replied to my petulant whining in the last chapter. I'm quite ashamed of the childish way I acted. Anyway, here are the replies to the wonderful people who reviewed who I couldn't reply directly to:

_**justanotherfan**_: Don't worry, I have absolutely no intentions of leaving this story unfinished, since I hate it myself when a story I'm reading suddenly ends up on hiatus and then deserted and never finished. Unfortunately, it might be a while before this story is complete (considering my snail-pace update rate), but never fear, it definitely won't be left behind. Heh, and I'd feel guilty if you start biting people.

_**ddd**_: I'm really grateful that you've managed to review every single chapter of mine since I've started this story. Many thanks and hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

_**Murasaki**_: Aaww, your review made me feel all warm and bubbly inside. Unfortunately, it isn't directly due to the lack of reviews that's stopping me from updating (but by all means, don't stop reviewing!!!), more to do with school work being a pain. But I will try my best to deliver! Thank you!

**To everyone, hope you're all having a great holiday. And Merry Christmas for tomorrow!!!**

- Nine1991 -


	9. With New Opportunities

**Author's Note:** Worked three days straight to get this chapter finished. And since **Rae-chan33** was enthusiastic enough to plead, and I quote, in "ALL THAT IS HOLY", who am I to deny her.

**Warning:** YAOI (Content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing, suggestive content.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_ flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

**(now also known as 'Taof' – brilliant idea of JD01)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 9: With New Opportunities

"_He's injured. He needs immediate help."_

"_Of course, sir. May I ask the name of the patient and the cause of his condition?"_

"_Uzumaki Naruto. He has been brutally assaulted."_

_A pause. "I don't see any serious injuries. He will have to wait until a doctor is available."_

"_No serious injuries! He's bleeding to death for god's sakes! He needs medical attention right n-"_

"_Uchiha-san! What's with all th – oh god, Naruto! What happened?!"_

"_He's been assaulted."_

"_Someone call Hokage-sama immediately!"_

**-LineBreak-**

Sasuke sat, staring blankly at the whitewashed walls of the hospital corridor. Staring, but not processing. Seeing, but not comprehending. The dull echoing of the clock situated above the bleached double doors that the Hokage had madly rushed through ringing in his ears – goading him, taunting him. Each second seemed to pass by slower, seemed to drag as the night got older until one second felt like five seconds and five seconds felt like thirty seconds and a minute felt like an eternity.

He had been waiting for what seemed like an age – but what was it really? Two hours? Three hours? – until the rigidity of his spinal cord had melted down to a buzzing numbness, leaving him slouched, muted and strangely cold, staring at the whitewashed walls in front of him because, really, he'd rather stare at that then at that goddamn clock that seemed to laugh at him with every tick of its second-hand. He glanced at it, even though he knew it was against his better judgment. Three past one. It's been two hours and fifty-two minutes. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He was no medic-nin, but were surgeries supposed to take this long?

Sasuke's breath hitched as the creaking of the double doors registered in his ears, his gaze snapped to focus just in time to see the Hokage stepping out, Shizune close behind her.

The Hokage looked weary as she slowly shrugged off the white surgeon's overcoat, as if she had aged years rather than hours within the operation room. She handed the coat to Shizune, wiping her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt before accepting the Hokage robe handed to her and slipping it on. Shizune stepped forward to adjust and smoothen down the robes, and Sasuke chose that moment to stand up and approach the two silent women.

He took a deep breath. "How is Naru-"

The Hokage whirled around, all traces of fatigue forgotten, and before he could even comprehend what had happened he was pinned to the wall, a fist in his shirt and his feet dangling some distance off the floor. His hands flew up to pry away the hand reflexively, but felt his blood go arctic cold the moment his eyes met furious amber.

"I ordered you to protect him!" Tsunade bellowed, and the emptiness of the corridor and the echo that followed seemed to only add to the volume, making Sasuke inwardly cringe. Tsunade's lips were pulled into an ugly snarl, the image of the lazy, witty Hokage long shattered, leaving the lioness herself to take the reins. Her eyes were livid as she yanked the Uchiha forward only to crash him back into the wall, and there was a satisfying _thunk_ as the back of Sasuke's head once again collided harshly with the hard surface. "Keep him safe. That's all I asked you to do. But it seems you can't even do that." She jerked him forward, as if the shinobi weighed no more than a rag doll, and her eyes narrowed as she growled into his face, "I told you that there would be dire consequences if you failed."

Sasuke stared determinedly back, and even though it felt like every muscle in his body had seized up, he refused to back down from the Hokage's gaze. Tsunade's expression twisted bitterly and her other hand that was by her side seemed to twitch in a desperate need to _move_, until –

"Don't, Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade glanced at Shizune, saw the worry and disapproval on her assistant's face, and sighed bitterly. She looked to the side, down the corridor where a few curious and slightly frightened faces had peered around the corner to see what all the commotion was about, all of which looked positively alarmed to see their esteemed Hokage's brutal handling of a shinobi under her command. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, and Sasuke could hear her grit lowly from between clenched teeth, "Never asked for this fucking job," as she released the grip on his shirt. Sasuke collapsed heavily onto the floor. He didn't bother to look up as the flutter of robes and the brisk sound of fading footsteps signaled the Hokage's departure.

Sasuke was numb, ignorant of all things except the thundering of the blood pounding in his ears as he remained in his spot on the floor, staring at nothing, hearing nothing, not even the hushed whispers that followed the Hokage's leaving. Which was why he didn't register the sound of soft, approaching footsteps until there was a hand at his shoulder and a gentle voice in his ear. "Uchiha-san. Are you alright?"

Sasuke blinked, bringing himself out of his stupor, and calmly turned to the owner of the voice. He shrugged the hand off his shoulder and smoothly picked himself up off the floor, ignoring the outstretched hand offering support. "I'm fine, Haruno-san," was his clipped reply as he straightened his clothes, glancing towards the white double-doors that lead to the operation room.

Sakura followed the direction of his gaze, giving a small smile when she realized what he was looking at. "Naruto's been moved to a different room. Would you like me to take you there?"

"No, that's fine. I'll find my own way there."

Sakura's smile faltered slightly at the Uchiha's cold, impersonal tone, but hitched back up almost immediately. It was silly of her. Of course he would be in a foul mood, considering that Naruto was injured. After all, he was supposed to be the one protecting him. "Well, Naruto's in room 108. It's just down that corridor and to your right," she said, motioning behind him. The Uchiha nodded, and Sakura gave a small smile as she watched him leave silently in the direction she had informed him.

**-LineBreak-**

…_beep…beep…beep…beep…_

Naruto scrunched up his nose as he pressed his face further into the pillows in an attempt to muffle out the incessant beeping. '_Damn it! Was it time to wake up already?_'

He threw his right hand out, fumbling blindly for that annoying alarm clock so he could press the snooze button. Really, it should be a crime to wake up so early. He didn't know how people like Sasuke could do it.

His brows furrowed when his hand swept across nothing, and in a desperate attempt to hold on to the last vestiges of sleep, he flung his left hand over as well. Two hands were better than one after all, or something like that. But he froze when, instead of feeling the creaking of tired muscles beginning to function, he felt…nothing. In fact – and he started to panic – he couldn't feel anything at all below his left shoulder. Nor anything below his hips! He sucked in a deep breath of air, letting it out slowly, quite the contrary to his steadily racing heartbeat. '_Calm down. This must be some stupid-ass dream. I'm gonna wake up any minute and regain all feeling in my limbs."_

He took another deep breath before letting it out in a loud _whoosh_, then another, then another, and a completely inappropriate part of his mind snidely registered just how much he was acting like a pregnant woman in labour. He winced, adjusting his breathing to a more calming pace before slowly counting backwards from three. At zero, he wrenched his eyes open, fully expecting to see the faded cream of his bedroom ceiling when instead he was met with white, white, white.

'_Oh god! I've been abducted!_' was the first thought that entered his head as his eyes scaled the almost blindingly white ceiling.

'_Neh, don't be stupid, Naruto!_' An image of Sakura appeared in his mind's eye and he could almost imagine the power-packed punch that would follow if the pink-haired kunoichi was with him. He couldn't help the fond smile from taking over his face. No, he was being stupid. _Think like a ninja_, he chided himself.

His eyes left the ceiling as he tilted his head to observe his surroundings more. White walls, flowers, some weird beeping machine and that annoying clinically clean smell that seemed to sear his nostrils. No, not abducted, but a hospital. Konoha's hospital. And Naruto's eyes widened as it all started coming back to him like a rush of flood water – the Kyuubi festival, the Hokage mountain, the group of men, that ninja with the horrid teeth, and pain on excruciating pain. He paled as he tried to wriggle his legs and left arm and felt no responding movement. Cold seized his heart in a vice grip and he shut his eyes tight as a feeling of foreboding came over him. '_Oh god, the damage must have been too great. Baa-chan must have amputated everyth-_'

"What the hell are you doing, usuratonkachi? Have a stomachache or something?"

Naruto paused, his eyes slipping open as he turned to the side where, in a chair in the corner, Sasuke sat looking at him with a skeptical expression on his face.

"M-my legs!" Naruto choked out.

Sasuke raised a bemused brow as his dark eyes swerved to the end of the bed before returning to Naruto's face. "What about them?" he grunted, and his voice clearly portrayed something along the lines of you-are-stupid-and-weird-and-I-don't-understand-you.

Cobalt eyes followed the direction that Sasuke's had just taken and rested on two blanket-covered forms. He brought his right hand over and prodded each of them with a finger, testing the shape and texture, before placing his full hand over it, gripping and feeling up and up until he reached a knee, then a thy, then a hip. Hey, it was his own hip!

"Should I leave the room and give you some privacy?" Sasuke's low voice drawled, staring pointedly at Naruto's hand, which was ecstatically testing the connection between his legs and his hip.

Naruto beamed. "Nothing's amputated!" He laughed as he prodded his left arm, which was in a sling. "I can still become Hokage!"

Sasuke blinked slowly, wisely choosing not to voice his bewilderment at the blonde's bizarre behavior. Really, he should be used to this by now. "Of course nothing's amputated, moron," he muttered, leaning back against his chair.

"Then why can't I move anything?" Naruto asked, massaging his left leg with his one useable hand in hopes of encouraging muscle movement.

Sasuke shrugged. "Hokage-sama must have done something to your locomotion sensors." He brought up a hand to stifle a yawn.

Naruto observed Sasuke curiously as the Uchiha closed his eyes momentarily, pressing fingers against his eyelids. Sasuke looked tired, and with his dark hair mussed and sticking up crookedly at the back, it was safe to assume that he had previously been sleeping. Blue eyes trailed over the numerous wrinkles on the Uchiha's usually impeccable uniform, at the standard hospital blanket pooled on the dark-haired shinobi's lap and the way he discreetly tensed his muscles into a stretch. Naruto winced. That chair didn't look comfortable in the slightest. Just how long had Sasuke been sleeping here?

"How long was I out?" Naruto asked softly.

Sasuke glanced back at the blond, slowly crossing his arms over his chest. "Not long. A couple of days."

"You've been sleeping in _that_ chair for a couple of days?!"

Sasuke stretched his legs a little further in an act of nonchalance. "It's my job."

Naruto fell silent, and there was a brief moment of nothing but the steady beeping of the heart-rate monitor before Naruto's timid voice brought up, "You want a pillow?"

Just as Sasuke was about to refuse the offer, the door at the opposite end of the room burst open to admit the Hokage, her stature tall and her pace brisk as she marched over to the bed that held an immobile Naruto. She stopped when she reached his side, rhythmically reading the clipboard in her hand as she checked the I.V. drip and the needle in his arm.

Naruto cleared his throat loudly. "Um…baa-chan," and he flinched as her sharp eyes turned to him, "Er…why can't I feel my legs and my left arm?"

She glared at him, and Naruto cowered. "You were beaten half to death. You should be thankful that you're still breathing," she snapped, her voice acid as she yanked the needle in his arm perhaps a little harsher than necessary. He flinched, but Tsunade paid him no heed.

"I always end up fine, anyway…" Naruto mumbled grumpily under his breath, but unfortunately the Hokage's sharp ears managed to catch his comment and Naruto felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he registered the dangerous glint in her eye.

"You-" and Naruto pushed himself further into the pillows as Tsunade leaned closer, a finger pressing insistently into the middle of his forehead, "-are not _immortal_! Do you _not_ understand the seriousness of your injuries? Four broken ribs! A punctured lung!" Her voice steadily increased, getting louder and louder as her eyes narrowed further and further. "Three areas of internal bleeding! Trauma to the skull! Numerous fractures in the bone! Limbs shattered almost beyond repair! Not to mention the uncountable amount of lacerations!" Her poisonous glare switched to the Uchiha sitting in the corner, and it was clear her words were jibes at him as much as they were chidings to the blond lying in the hospital bed. For a moment, he wondered if she was going to start shoving her finger into his forehead as well, until her fiery gaze switched back to Naruto. "Do _not_ tell me that you would have been fine when I saw myself just how close you were to not waking up this morning!"

Naruto hung his head as Tsunade's gaze continued to burn fiery holes into the side of his skull. He looked genuinely miserable as his hands awkwardly fiddled with the sheets, clenching and unclenching the white fabric between his fingers.

Tsunade's expression softened slightly. "Leave us a moment, Uchiha," she commanded solemnly over her shoulder, her eyes never once leaving the blond as Sasuke retreated silently out of the room.

At the gentle click of the closing door, she stood up straight, walking over to the corner of the room where she hooked a hand over the back of the chair Sasuke had originally occupied and dragged it over to beside the bed. She sat herself onto it, crossing her arms over her ample chest as she pinched the bridge of her nose wearily, letting out a deep sigh.

"It's not his fault," Naruto said quietly, staring blankly into the covers, "I was the one who sneaked out, so don't punish him, okay baa-chan?"

Tsunade's lips pursed into a thin line at the mention of the Uchiha, her forehead deeply creased and for once, she looked exactly her age. She closed her eyes and her nostrils flared slightly as she fought to keep her temper in check. "Uchiha found you, bloodied and broken in front of the Hokage tower. I want to know what happened, how many were there, and who they were."

Naruto remained mute, and Tsunade crossed her legs, clasping her hands together in a gesture of forced calm. "A name, Naruto. That's all I need."

Not a single word left the blonde's lips, and Tsunade's face darkened as she stood up abruptly, in her frustration swinging the chair beneath her out so harshly that it shattered into pieces of jagged timber against the hospital wall. Naruto not so much as flinched at the sound, too busy keeping his eyes trained on his own lap.

"Goddamn it, Naruto! You are no longer bound! Why can't you see that!" Tsunade shouted, before her voice lowered to a gentler tone. "It's been _nine_ years, Naruto." She stood, looking imploringly at the blond, who seemed to be fighting some internal struggle judging by the iron-grip he had on the sheets scrunched in his hands. When she received no vocal reply, she sat herself down onto the bed by the blonde's feet, leaning closer and encasing each tanned, tensed fist within her own. In her proximity, she managed to catch small parts of Naruto's soft mutterings.

"…of Konoha…at cost of death…"

She sighed, bringing a hand up to firmly grip Naruto's chin as she tilted his face up until it looked squarely into hers. The pupils of his eyes were dilated and tinged a blood-red around the edges, but his muttering ceased when Tsunade spoke, the grip on his chin tightening slightly, "It's over, Naruto. You're no longer bound by anything." She noticed his grip on the sheets loosening, and continued, voice soft and soothing. "A name, Naruto. That's all I need."

The crimson of Naruto's eyes seemed to slowly fade into its brilliant blue background, and Naruto's lips opened, his voice slightly shaky, "T-the leader was a Chuunin. I heard one of the group call him…Hiro."

Tsunade lips curved into a winning smile, and she released her grip on his chin as she brought it up higher to ruffle his unruly, blond hair. "I'm proud of you, gaki."

Naruto glanced up at her, a shaky smile on his face as he softly replied, "Thanks, baa-chan."

Tsunade leaned back into her seat on the mattress by the blonde's feet, resting her weight casually against an arm. She smirked at him. "So…I've got news, gaki."

Naruto's forehead creased as he reclined back into his pillow. "What's that got to do with me?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "The news, it's about you."

"Oh. And?"

She studied her nails nonchalantly. "I had a meeting with the council a couple of days ago. You remember that Jounin promotion you've been pining after?"

"NO WAY!!" Naruto shouted, eyes going as wide as saucers as he hoisted himself up into a sitting position (quite a difficult feat considering his legs were rendered useless at the moment). He ran a hand slowly through his messy blond spikes, before laughing loudly, the cheerful sound brightening up the room more so than even the lights were able to. He looked to Tsunade, a bright grin on his face. "I can't believe I'm a Jounin."

She fondly smiled at his happiness, watched as his eyes glazed over in a dreamy haze, probably picturing visions of dangerous missions and life-threatening situations. '_Boys_,' she thought affectionately, '_I never will understand them._' She smoothly stood up from the mattress, and cleared her throat softly. "Seeing as you're so overjoyed, I suppose you wouldn't care that I also got you instated as my apprentice for Hokage training."

The goofy smile melted right off Naruto's face, and for a moment, she wondered if maybe he had stopped breathing altogether. He let out a choppy breath, collapsing bonelessly back onto the mattress as he stared, stunned, at the white ceiling. He didn't utter a single sound, and Tsunade's bemused thought was that maybe she should have waited to tell him another day, seeing as the shock of it all might have been too much for him. She smiled knowingly as she walked to the door, leaving him to process his thoughts. Before she exited the room, she tossed over her shoulder, "Oh, and Naruto, I've fiddled with your motor skills so that you won't be able to move your legs or your left arm for a couple of days. The fractures in the bones need maximum stability to heal, something I can't provide if you're always moving about." And with that, she left the room, not caring if her words were actually comprehended by the stunned blond lying in the hospital bed or not.

As Tsunade stepped out, Sakura, who had just been about to visit Naruto, felt a sense of dread. She veered to the side, away from the Hokage's path as she walked briskly past. "Hiro, huh?" she heard the Hokage mutter under her breath, a malicious smile blooming on her face and the murderous glint in her eye seemed to sparkle. She shivered as the Hokage turned a corner and out of sight, somehow feeling very sorry for this 'Hiro' person and wondering just what they did to enrage the Hokage so.

**-LineBreak-**

Sasuke entered room 108, and came face to face to a very pleasantly surprised Sakura who smiled charmingly at him. He ignored it, however, and merely stepped aside to let her through as she seemed to have her hands full with – and his eyebrows rose slightly in wonderment – a pile of wood. She breathed out a loud disappointed sigh, but he paid her no heed and barely waited for her to step completely out the door before entering the room himself and closing the door behind him.

Naruto was sitting up in bed, his lower back supported by several pillows piled on top of each other, and seemed to be nursing a rapidly swelling bruise on top of his head. The blond scowled at Sasuke's bemused expression. "I wanted to try walking, but Sakura-chan didn't like the idea."

The dark-haired shinobi only smirked, and made his way over to the small table in the corner where he deposited the large plastic bag in his hand. Naruto craned his neck a little in an attempt to see the bag's contents, all of a sudden not so interested in soothing the throbbing bump on his scalp. "Hey! Whatcha got there, teme?"

Not only did Sasuke refuse to answer, but he also positioned himself (and Naruto was positive that he did it on purpose) in such a way that blocked the bag from Naruto's view. There was a lot of rustling as Sasuke seemed to be taking various objects out of the bag as well as the clinking of what sounded suspiciously like metal, and Naruto huffed, disgruntled that he wasn't able to slake his curiosity. He pouted, leaning back into the bed as he glared at Sasuke's unresponsive back.

Sasuke gripped the object in one hand tightly as he turned around, his other hand dragging the wheelie table over so that the tray was positioned over Naruto's lap on the bed. He placed the object gently down onto the tray, and stood back to observe the amazed smile that bloomed across Naruto's face.

"I promised you that I would buy you ramen for your birthday. I believe your preference runs towards miso, does it not?"

**-LineBreak-**

Naruto knelt down on the smooth cement after taking his shoes off by the grass, shuffling forward slowly on his knees until he was close enough to place the flowers in his hand in front of the tall, gleaming, marble tablet. The flowers, a vivid orange in colour, stood out loudly from the pearlescent surface of the tombstone, and Naruto smiled. Really, the colour was so very him, wasn't it?

It had been six days since Naruto had woken up in hospital, and he had finally managed to convince the Hokage to let him out early. Getting her to believe that he would take it easy for the next few weeks was difficult, but it had been his acceptance of her threat to demote him if he overtaxed himself that eventually sealed the deal. And it was then that he finally managed to come here – here where he had planned to visit ever since Tsunade had informed him of his apprenticeship for Hokage training. He grinned as he smoothed the pad of his forefinger over a soft, vibrant petal, his voice coming out soft and low. "Hey, old man. Long time no see, huh? I hope you like the flowers. I mean, there were white ones at the shop, but I just thought that these had a little more pizzazz. You know what I mean?"

His grin melted down into a melancholic smile as he folded his hands neatly on his lap, shifting his legs into a more circulation-friendly position. "Baa-chan got me into an apprenticeship with her for Hokage training. Understand what that means, right? I'm already halfway there!" He turned his blue eyes up to the clear sky, and sighed loudly. "Wish you were here to see it, though. And you know what? One day I'll own that daggy hat, old man. And _I'll_ be the one not letting you wear it." He glanced back at the tombstone, a small, almost imperceptible smile on his face. A warm smile.

Noticing the sun's position in the sky, Naruto got up on his feet, walking back to where he had left his shoes and slipped them back on. He faced the great, marble tombstone again, bowing low in respect before turning and making his way over to the side of the street where Sasuke stood waiting.

As they walked, Naruto turned to his right, where just over the treetops the setting sun casted a golden hue over the mountain that housed the faces of Konoha's past and present Hokages. His eyes lingered on the third face, smiled at the familiar wizened, old features of the sculpture that starkly resembled its model.

'_I'll come visit again, old man. Soon._'

**-LineBreak-**

It was in the early, dark hours of the morning that Sasuke finally returned to his room. He opened the door silently, smooth, light footsteps to ensure that the blond in the next room over didn't hear his return. He made his way over to his bed, dropping the sac of copied scrolls beside it as he turned to his mirror-image who was occupying the bed in his place. Almost as if sensing his other half there, dark eyes slipped open, and stared back at Sasuke. There was no communication. There really didn't need to be. If anything happened, he would find out soon anyway. Sasuke brought his hands up into a hand seal and the shadow clone dispelled in a silent puff of smoke, and immediately his mind was assaulted with rapid memories of the last five hours from the clone's vantage point.

_Silent. Dark._

_The creak of a door. Naruto?_

_Yes. Naruto. Walking. Towards him._

_Pressure on his chest as a tanned hand pushed him backwards. Into the mattress._

_Pressure on his hip as he was straddled. Naruto's legs on either side of his own._

_Pressure on his lips as soft ones touched his. And pressing. Pressing. Pressing._

_His lips parted to allow the insistent tongue inside. And he was devoured. Completely. Utterly. No part of him left undiscovered._

_A hand entwined in his hair, pushing him closer. And closer. As close as physically possible. And, god, was that even __**possible**_

_Another hand. On his shoulder. Moving. Sliding. Over his chest. Down to his side. Gentle, gentle pressure. Under his shirt. Skin. Oh, god, skin. He was never so aware before of his own skin._

_Over his abdomen. Fingers splayed. Palms flat. Going up. Up. Up. Until it lay over the left of his chest. So warm. So very warm. And then –_

_Cold. No, what? Why?_

_No more warm body over his own. And Naruto's walking. Walking away. Where is he going? Why is he leaving? Click. The sound of the bedroom door closing._

_Cold._

Sasuke collapsed down onto his bed, his mind reeling, his senses dazed. He could still feel the ghost of the pressure on his lips, the phantom of a warm hand exploring his body. And as he tucked himself under the blankets, his muscles suddenly feeling weak and shaky as he forced himself into sleep, his dreams were filled with nothing but blue eyes and whiskered cheeks.

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

I wanted that last shadow-clone memory scene to be choppy, so that it kinda gives the feel that Sasuke's receiving these really abrupt images going through his mind. Don't really know if I actually conveyed it well or anything, so I'll just leave you guys to tell me. Promise that that make-out scene wasn't just thrown in for kicks, there's a reason behind everything.

And I absolutely hate the title for this chapter, so if anyone has any idea for an alternative (better!) title, then please tell me.

I'll keep this short since I've got a mammoth-load of homework to get through and I've been ignoring it long enough.

Please review! I love to know your thoughts on how this chapter (or the story so far) went and if you enjoyed it or not. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Promise I won't bite your head off. 

Here are the replies to the reviews that I couldn't contact directly:

_**justanotherfan**_: Glad you liked the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed this one!

_**ddd**_: Heh, we shall see if those goons who beat up Naruto get what they deserve. – cackles evilly –

_**Murasaki**_: Nope, definitely won't quit on this story, especially after reading your review. -smiles- Eh, but now I feel really bad for making you cry! -pouts- Please don't cry! I hate it when people are sad. And I'm glad you liked the make-out scene!

_**dragonrouge7**_: -laughs- Yes, you're right. I don't like giving myself much credit. I guess I believe that if I did something well, then I'll have awesome people like you to tell me I actually did something well instead of getting in over my head by complimenting myself and satisfying my own ego. Er…does that even make sense? Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and have managed to stick with me for the whole story so far. You have no idea how much I sweated over that last three-scene rotation section.

**To all of my readers, hope you're enjoying your holiday! And for those of you who've got a gigantic pile of homework, like me, well…I empathize with you guys.**

- Nine1991 -


	10. Punishment

**Author's Note:** I haven't got the energy to comment right now.

**Warning:** YAOI (Content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing, suggestive content.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_ flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

**(now also known as 'Taof' – brilliant idea of JD01)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 10: Punishment

"For the next couple of months, I want you to visit the records chamber every morning. Spend a few hours looking through the scrolls. Brush up on your knowledge of Konoha's history." The Hokage continued walking down the dimly lit aisle, sweeping a hand in the direction of the towering rows of antique bookshelves that lined the walls beside her, the hem of her robes swishing to and fro with her every movement. She cast a momentary glance over her shoulder at her companion. "Actually, I'm quite surprised that you stayed here so long without complaint. I was down in my office waiting for you to come bursting through within the first ten minutes."

Naruto gave the Hokage a bemused smile as he replied, "You have so much confidence in me, baa-chan."

"Have you ever given me reason to believe otherwise?"

Naruto chuckled, bringing his arms up to rest behind his neck. "I suppose you're right." He lazily stuck out a hand to sweep his fingers across some of the aligned book binds, creating faint trails in the thin layer of accumulated dust. "It's actually not so boring. I managed to find something to busy myself with eventually."

The Hokage cocked an eyebrow as she stopped at the entrance doors, turning to look at him. "Will wonders never cease."

Naruto laughed as he stepped out the doors. "I guess not." He turned around and watched as the Hokage stepped through as well, closing the pale doors firmly behind her. He looked on in fascination as she placed her right palm flat on the wooden surface, her hand gradually taking on a blue glow as she channeled chakra through her arm and into her palm and fingertips. There was a slight creaking sound as the edges of the door glowed blue as well, and a muffled 'thump' when the door seemed to push forward, fitting tightly into its frame. The blue glow faded, and Tsunade's hand dropped back at her side.

Naruto let out a long, low whistle. "So when am I gonna be able to do that?"

Tsunade's eyes scaled the door one last time before she turned and started walking briskly in the direction of her office, Naruto two steps behind her. "When I retire. Either that or…" she trailed off.

Naruto sped up his pace a little so that they now walked side by side. "Either that or what?" he asked eagerly.

"Either that or if I die."

Naruto stopped in his tracks, falling behind as the Hokage continued walking without the slightest falter in her strides. He blinked a couple of times, before shaking his head and jogging to catch up with the busty village leader, who was already at the bottom of the stairs. He fell into step beside her. "Well, I guess I'll just have to wait until you retire then," he stated airily, "It's not like a tough-skinned old hag like you is going to allow yourself to die until you're over a hundred." He snickered, adding softly to himself, "Though that's not very far off."

There was a resounding 'thwack' and a subsequent yelp of "OW! Baa-chan!!"

A little while later, the two settled down in the Hokage's office. Tsunade leaned back into her chair, her shoulders relaxed and her expression calm, nursing a recently downed cup of sake between her fingers. Her amber eyes focused on the young man shifting excitedly in his seat in front of her, and she inwardly smiled. Really, to be so young and so full of energy. "There are some things that you are required to know before you become Hokage." She paused for a moment to refill her cup, taking another (rather large) sip before continuing, "Most, if not all, of the information can be found in the records chamber. Treat it as a library of sorts."

Naruto was practically bouncing in his seat now, his face childishly curious and eager, and for a moment, Tsunade wondered how he ever became a ninja. She cleared her throat. "You'll have to adopt an extensive knowledge of Konoha's history, read on the past Hokages and what they've done to add to the village. On more recent terms, you need to look up our diplomatic relations, take note of the alliances we have already formed with the neighboring villages." Her lips pursed before she added dryly, "It would be unfortunate if Konoha were to start a war with one of its own allies due to the rashness of its own Hokage."

Naruto frowned. "But isn't Suna the only ninja village that we have an alliance with? Gaara and I get along fine!"

Tsunade sighed. "And yet I still remember the monumental amount of damage control your little spars had cost the village."

"Heh. It was all in good fun, baa-chan!"

"Tell that to the council elders."

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms, slumping back in his seat. "What else do I have to know?"

Fighting back the prominent urge to roll her eyes, Tsunade continued where she had left off. "You are also to study on the village's battle strategies and emergency war plans. In case the village is ambushed and-"

"-the people need to be evacuated so that elimination of the enemy can be done without involving innocent lives," Naruto finished for her, his voice uncharacteristically low and calm. He stared at the Hokage blankly, the words from his mouth coming out in a tone bridging a whisper, "I already know all of that."

Amber eyes softened, and the Hokage's expression turned somber. "I know," she said, voice equally silent. For one moment, instead of the vibrant, young Jounin in front of her, she fancied she saw a little boy. A little boy with dull, blue eyes and matted, blond hair.

"_**Are you the new Hokage, oba-san?"**_

"_**Yes I am."**_

"_**Okay."**_

"_**Why are you closing your eyes like that?"**_

"_**Aren't you here to dispose of me?"**_

"-an! Baa-chan! BAA-CHAN!!"

Tsunade reeled back at the sudden brutal assault to her eardrums, and growled as she shot a venomous glare at the blond, blue-eyed perpetrator who was leaning over the table, a mile-wide grin plastered on his face. "For god sakes, gaki! Is it impossible for you to be quiet for once!"

Naruto collapsed lazily back into his seat, his feet smoothly brought up to rest on the table surface, ignoring the distinct twitch in the Hokage's eye at the action. He smiled cheekily at her. "It's all part of my charm!"

The Hokage found that an exasperated sigh was the only fitting reply.

"You know, baa-chan, considering that there's so much to remember before you can become Hokage, I don't know how you ever got the job! I mean, judging by your old age, wouldn't you have been going through Alzheimer's or something?"

It wasn't a surprise, really, when the doors to the Hokage's office were suddenly flung open and a certain blond, blue-eyed Jounin was sent hurtling through the air.

**-LineBreak-**

"-swear, the only reason why I'm so short is 'cause people keeping on treating me like some kind of punching bag-" Naruto's grumbling voice preceded his entrance and gave Sasuke enough time to quickly grab some random book off the coffee table and relax himself into a reading position. His eyes flickered over the words, making sure that he had the book the right way up, before keeping his ears pealed as the sound of the door opening and closing greeted him.

"Hey, Sasuke! I'm back!"

The young Uchiha only grunted in reply.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Jeez, someone's in a happy mood today." The sound of a zipper being pulled and the soft scraping of cloth against cloth as Naruto took off his Jounin vest (very carefully, mind you) and placed it on the back of the nearest dining chair. Loud clinking as a weapons pouch followed soon after. "Yes, my meeting with baa-chan was very good. Thank you for asking."

Sasuke snorted. "Why the hell would I ask you anything?"

"Ah hah! It speaks!" Naruto mock-gasped, bounding over to the couch where Sasuke sat and plonking himself down beside the dark-haired nin, his arms and legs flung lazily wide. Sasuke felt himself stiffen as his skin registered Naruto's body heat, even across the thirty or so centimeters between them. No, he corrected, twenty eight. His heart rate started to increase as he felt fingers graze the tiny hairs at the nape of his neck from their position across the back of the couch.

_**A hand entwined in his hair, pushing him closer. And closer. As close as physically possible.**_

"I still have to go back and see her after lunch though. I think she wants to shirk her paperwork on me." Naruto chattered, but stopped when he realized Sasuke wasn't paying attention. In fact, he seemed really absorbed in his book.

So absorbed that his eyes weren't even moving.

Naruto nudged a knee against Sasuke's, trying to jolt some reaction out of him. "Hey. Sasuke? You okay?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth at the nudge to his leg, his eyes slipping shut as he tried to stop the racing of his heart.

_**Pressure on his hip as he was straddled. Naruto's legs on either side of his own.**_

"Hey! Bastard!" A hand on his shoulder. A warm, tanned hand.

_**Another hand. On his shoulder. Moving. Sliding. Over his chest. Down to his side.**_

"WAKE UP!"

And Sasuke saw stars as he was barreled onto his side, the ache in his throbbing jaw increasing and decreasing with every rush of the blood in his veins. He looked up dazedly, only to see Naruto rubbing the slightly reddened knuckles of his right hand with the fingers of his left. The blond scowled, roughly grabbing the hem of Sasuke's sleeve and pulling the silent (and slightly stunned) Uchiha into a sitting position, all the while grumbling under his breath about people and how they kept spacing out on him.

"I wasn't spacing out," Sasuke gritted from between clenched teeth, trying valiantly to will down the sudden headache developing in his skull.

Naruto snorted loudly. "Really. Must've been one hell of a book then." He reached out to grab the book that had fallen to the floor, but was beaten by Sasuke who snatched it away.

Sasuke looked down his nose at the blond, and, for once, was extremely thankful that he was born tall. He quickly gathered up what little there was left of his composure, gripping the book tightly in his hand, and sneered, "It was."

Never one to back down from a challenge (and it was so obviously a challenge), Naruto only pushed his face closer into the Uchiha's, his brilliant blue eyes narrowing. "I'm sure it was." And Sasuke's breath hitched.

_**Pressure on his lips as soft ones touched his. And pressing. Pressing. Pressing.**_

He stood up abruptly from the couch, tossing the book aside and briskly walking away, throwing only one word over his shoulder, "Bathroom."

At the sound of the bathroom door closing, Naruto slid himself to the edge of his seat and leaned over the coffee table where the book had glided over to the far end. He grasped the hard binding and brought it back in front of him, flipping it around so that he could see the cover. The bright cartoon illustrations of "101 Ways to Enjoy Ramen" greeted his eyes and he smirked. Naruto slid the book back across the table to where it originally was, not bothering to suppress the smile on his face as he muttered softly under his breath, "Tsk, teme, who're you kidding…"

**-LineBreak-**

The moon was high in the sky, giving light to the frequent comings and goings of the dark figure that frequented the halls of the Hokage Tower nightly. Sasuke dropped the last scroll into the sac at his feet, before pulling the string tight to secure the mouth closed. Hoisting the sac onto his shoulder, he scanned the shelf in front of him one last time to make sure everything was in its exact place before sliding off his gloves and slipping them into his pocket.

He strode to the double-door entrance and out the records chamber, turning around to give one sweeping glance of the large, dimly lit room before closing the doors firmly shut. He brought his right hand up and placed it firmly on the surface of the door, channeling his chakra through his arm, across his palm and into his fingertips so that it flowed across his skin and into the wooden surface. He spared a look to his right and to his left, caught up in making sure no one was approaching, and hissed when a searing pain shot through his palm. He quickly jerked back his hand and brought it up to his face, clenching and unclenching when he realized there were no visible marks on his skin, and realized that the door had already sealed shut while he was busy making sure no one was going to walk in on him. Dismissing it as a chakra burn for placing his hand too long on the door, he dropped his hand back at his side, and crouched down to remove the protective covers over his sandals. Stuffing those in his pocket as well, he stood up and walked over to the window, where the glow of the moon shone like a beacon across the dark hallway.

He looked out across the village, pass the houses and across the village border, where the trees of the forest swayed gently with the midnight breeze. There was only one last thing to do tonight.

He climbed onto the window ledge and got ready to scale down the wall. But just as he was about to apply chakra to his feet, he quickly peered around his shoulder.

For a moment he had thought…

…the muffled sound of shouting…

But as he kept his ears pealed and heard nothing but the faint chirping of crickets, Sasuke gently shook his head and focused back on the task at hand. He must've been hearing things.

Five seconds later, the hallway was to be found empty.

**-LineBreak-**

Kasaki Hiro woke up groggily, not exactly certain of what he expected to wake up to, but only sure that it wasn't this. The last thing he remembered was stumbling out of the bar where he had gotten himself completely drunk, and feeling an overwhelming sense of hatred for the bartender who saw it fit to kick him out. Then a sharp jolt of pain at the base of his neck before everything went dark.

So when he awoke and was greeted with only darkness, he fought off the panicked, alcohol-induced notion that he was blinded and called his rusty ninja skills into gear. He quietly assessed the situation. He was blindfolded, that much he was certain, and sitting. Yes, he was sitting. On a chair of some kind. And due to the fact that he couldn't move his arms nor his legs, he could only assume that he was bound. And also, he was sure that he wasn't alone.

There was rustling, like the fluttering of cloth on cloth, and Hiro's head snapped in the direction of the sound. "Who's there?" His voice echoed, twice as loud as it would have been on its own, ringing almost eerily. He must be in some sort of dungeon.

Then there was a voice. A woman's. Soft and yet so very cold that it sent shivers up his spine. "Kasaki Hiro. Chunin. Son of Kasaki Rinji and Yousuka Akira-"

"Who are you?!" Hiro growled, trying to wrench his arms and legs free of whatever was binding them.

The woman seemed to pay him no heed, merely continuing her steady commentary of his profile. "-Graduated from the academy with a relatively good score, but no honours. Promoted at the age of twenty. Your twenty-third mission was requested by the council elders of Konoha-"

Hiro stiffened, suddenly aware of where this was going.

"-You were assigned as guard to one Uzumaki Naruto."

Hiro laughed loudly, the harsh sound drowning out the calm voice of the woman. "Is this about that demon?" he said, between deeps breaths of air, before sneering, "I wasn't aware that anyone was desperate enough to befriend a monster."

There was the soft snap of a folder flipping shut, then the creak of weight lifted off a chair and the brisk sound of footsteps before a loud '_slap!_' reverberated through the air. Hiro felt his face jerk to the side and a distinct crack in the region of his lower jaw and froze, numb, before gritting his teeth as the overwhelming pain started to surge through his cheek, like thunder after lightning. The voice whispered behind his ear, low and threatening, "The only reason you're not breathing through a tube right now is because I need information. Information that you _will_ give me." There was suddenly a rough grip on his hair and he was violently pulled back into a straight sitting position.

The sound of footsteps retreated slightly, before seeming to circle him. Slowly. Patiently. And Hiro was suddenly reminded of a predator circling its prey.

"There were various marks on Uzumaki Naruto's body. Too many of these marks were…inconsistent. Which can only mean that there was more than one assailant. From my observations," the footsteps stopped about two metres directly in front of him, "I would say that there were perhaps five or six other people." One step forward. "I want to know who they are." One step closer. "So why don't you enlighten me."

Hiro snorted, seemingly recovered from the harsh hit to his face. He tilted his head up proudly. "We performed a service to the village. That demon child deserved everything. Anyone who hears of what we've done would gladly thank u-AARGH!!!" Hiro hollered in surprise and pain at the sharp jolt running from the back of his left ankle and up his leg. He squeezed his eyes shut and firmly gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain that was gradually turning into a buzzing numbness spreading from his heel and across his feet. His eyes snapped open in shock when he realized that, no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to move his left foot. "YOU BITCH!! What the hell did you do?!!"

"The tendon above your heel is a very delicate place," the voice was as cold as ice, and for the first time, Kasaki Hiro feared for his life, "Severing that tendon will render the attached foot completely useless. And if the wound is left unattended and bacteria is left to fester, amputation will have to be considered."

"Why you little _bitch_!! I'll kill you! I swear I'll fucking kill you!"

"Killing me will have to wait. I want those names!"

Hiro growled, breathing hard. No, he would not succumb to some stupid woman! "What makes you think I know them? Maybe they just invited themselves along. It's not hard to find someone who's willing to give that demon what it deser-" Another overwhelming surge of pain, this time above his right heel, and Hiro screamed. "YOU BITCH!! YOU FUCKING BITCH!!"

A hand was placed in a harsh grip over the back of each of his bound forearms, the nails digging deeply into his skin, and his chair, along with himself, was wrenched forcefully forward. There was suddenly harsh breathing across his face and the voice snarled out from not even inches away, "My patience is running low, Kasaki-san. Now, I had full intentions of mending the tears in your tendons had you cooperated willingly, but I'm starting to change my mind."

Hiro took in a ragged breath, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed gulps of saliva that never seemed to sooth his suddenly dry mouth.

"It seems my words aren't enough to convince you."

Hiro held his breath as something metal and cold rested on the back of his left wrist.

"Perhaps if your hands are next to go…"

And as the sharp metal object started to dig into his flesh, Hiro reacted, practically choking on his own saliva in his haste to get the words out of his mouth. "Wait! Wait! I'll tell you the names! Just stop!" The object retreated and Hiro sighed in relief. This woman was crazy! Absolutely crazy!

"I'm glad that you're starting to see sense," the voice drawled. "The names, please."

Hiro growled, and in a voice laced with hate, proceeded to list out the names one by one. When he had given the name of every man that was with him during the Kyuubi's punishment, he slumped back into the chair he was tied to, as if every single word had cost him so much energy.

"Thank you, Kasaki-san." And as the footsteps started to retreat, Hiro panicked and struggled against his binds, his words coming out choked as he called after the figure.

"Wait! You said you'd fix my feet!"

The footsteps stopped, and Hiro sighed in relief as they approached once more. "Of course, how irresponsible of me to forget."

There was a sudden warmth and a tickling sensation above each heel, and Hiro could've laughed in joy when, after the heat faded, he was able to wiggle all of his toes. He let out a long breath, but choked when his left wrist was suddenly grasped tightly followed by a sharp pain and a familiar feeling of tingling numbness spreading through his palm and fingertips. His right wrist followed soon afterwards.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!!?"

"Making sure that you can never use another jutsu ever again."

"You said that you'd _heal_ me!!!"

"I said that I'd mend the tendons at your feet, not that I wouldn't sever anything else."

"YOU ARROGANT BITCH!!!"

And before he could utter another word, there was a hand at his throat and the blindfold over his eyes was wrenched away. He blinked, allowing himself to get used to the dim lighting. The grip around his throat tightened threateningly, and Hiro focused on his attacker. His eyes bulged when he recognized who it was.

"I will make sure that you'll never lay another hand on Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hokage-sama!!"

Amber eyes glinted dangerously and Tsunade gave Kasaki Hiro's throat one last painful squeeze before pushing him harshly back, the force so strong that the chair tipped back onto the floor with a loud '_crash!_'.

She looked down her nose at the dazed Chunin, still strapped to the chair even as it lay on its back on the floor. Her eyes narrowed and her lips curled into a snarl. "Kasaki Hiro, by order of the Hokage, you are hereby banished from Konoha."

"No! You can't do that! I'm a citizen! I'm a Konoha ninja!" Hiro protested, futilely struggling against the bonds on his arms and legs, trying in vain to move his unresponsive fingers. "You can't do this to me! You can't!"

Tsunade smiled – a cruel, chilling smile – before turning on her heel and making her way to the door. She paused by the entrance, where Shizune stood attentively, clipboard and pen in hand. Shizune handed her the clipboard, the paper on it clearly displaying six names. Tsunade took it. Her only words before she left were, "Leave him outside the village gates."

Shizune nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

**-LineBreak-**

The sac was smoothly snatched from the air, and brought under the dark, assessing gaze of Kabuto, who tilted the contents from side to side before, seemingly satisfied, retightened the knot at the mouth. He raised his eyebrows at Sasuke, who remained stoic as usual. "Ten scrolls? Considering that there are so many, I hope they are all related to what we are looking for. Have you ever heard of quality over quantity?"

"They are _all_ very much related to Konoha's ultimate defense mechanism," Sasuke growled.

Kabuto smirked. "I'm sure they are." He hoisted the sac over his shoulder before pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "I suppose this means that you managed to break the seal on the records chamber?"

"I did."

"Anything of interest?"

There was a short pause, then, "Kyuubi no Youko."

A flash of interest crossed Kabuto's face. "The nine-tailed demon fox? What does it have to do with Konoha's ultimate defense?"

The edges of Sasuke's lips quirked into a cocky smile. "Unfortunately, the information I gathered is only for the knowledge of Orochimaru. You'll have to beg him later if you're that desperate to know. I'm sure it's not that difficult for you since you're probably used to doing a lot more than begging for Orochimaru."

The pleasant expression melted right off Kabuto's face. "My, my. Talkative today are we, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke cocked a brow. "If we're done here, I'll let you run back along to your master." He turned in the direction of Konoha's looming gates.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, before you leave there's one more thing Orochimaru-sama would like to know."

Sasuke stopped in his tracks. He calmly turned around, focusing his calculative gaze on Kabuto, who had a superior smirk on his face.

"Orochimaru-sama wants to know how one may sneak into the Hokage's office unnoticed."

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

Completely exhausted. Must finish homework. Why the hell did I ever pick to study French?

Please drop a review and tell me how you liked (or how you hated) the chapter. I'm all ears…er…I mean eyes. Anyway, would love to hear any kind of feedback whatsoever. You know, reviews make writing worthwhile for me.

Thank you to everyone that added my story to 'alert' and 'favorites'. I'm honored, really.

Thanks for everyone who've constantly reviewed and provided unwavering support! Don't know what I'd do without you guys!

Here are the replies to the reviews that I couldn't contact directly:

_**Kin**_: I'm glad that you liked the make-out scene. I didn't think that Sasuke changing all of a sudden into a sex-god would fit his characterization, so I decided to make him a little unsure of what to do. Thanks for all the compliments! I appreciate every word!

_**ddd**_: I'm not sure if that interrogation scene was what you expected, but I hope it at least quenched some of your thirst. I know it's not 'a bunch of parts' but…

_**Murasaki**_: I completely understand what you mean about the short scenes. I get the feel that most of the parts kind of end abruptly, and don't really 'flow'. Is my understanding the same as yours? I apologize if the story kinda seems a little choppy, and I can only assume it's partly because I prefer not to reread any of my own work right after I've written it. I'm really picky with my writing, so if I reread a part in a story I've written, then I'd keep on re-editing and re-editing and then it all sounds dull to my ears so I'd change it again anyway and then I never get anywhere. Another reason would be because I've got the whole plot of the story written out in point form, so I basically write each part to fulfill one 'point' and then I skip to next 'point'. Heh, anyway, I will try to improve my flow. Thank you for the constructive criticism. Heh heh, you're my first one!

**To all my readers – you rock!!!**

- Nine1991 -


	11. Discoveries

**Author's Note:** Hello? Anyone there? I hope people are still reading this story…

**Warning:** YAOI (Content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing, suggestive content.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_ flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

**("TAoF" – JD01)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 11: Discoveries

He watched as the seal swirled, swirled and faded, seeping into the timbers of the door it was placed upon. And as there was nothing left but the plain inelegance of simple door, ready to open at his own will, he felt a sudden sense of excitement washing over him.

He shouldn't be this excited, not really, considering how ridiculously easy it was to crack the seal. One would think that the entrance to the Third Hokage's personal records chamber would house a much more complicated safeguard. He couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed when he realized that all it took to unlock the door was a slight alteration to the method he had used to unlock the main entrance. But even then, he was here! He was close! It all came down to this, didn't it? All the hints and the clues, fragments of broken information, until this point in time where he could finally receive a straight answer.

He glanced down at the unraveled scroll in his hands, his eyes skimming over the words written there –

_[In order to insure that the weapon does not rebound against Konoha, it has come to the council's decision that rules are to be ingrained into the weapon from infancy. This method should insure that maximum information is retained. The rules that all council delegates have agreed upon are as follows –_

_That the weapon must obey all orders issued by the council and by the Hokage._

_That the weapon may not harm any citizens of Konoha, unless stated otherwise by either the council or the Hokage._

_That the weapon – _

A creature, Sasuke had thought when he first read that particular scroll. So that was what Konoha's so-called ultimate defense was. Not some powerful jutsu or some solid weapon of mass destruction. It was some kind of creature. He had frowned then, the over-imaginative part of his mind conjuring up a picture of some dungeon deep underground Konoha where a monster lay, caged and chained, waiting to be unleashed upon the village's enemies at the Hokage's call. His memory clicked onto the few mentions of the Kyuubi no Youko that he had come across in previous documents, and realized that perhaps that over-imaginative part of his mind wasn't completely far off. Was it possible that Konoha truly had some kind of demon under its control?

He rolled the scroll up and slipped it into his pocket, then pushed the door open with a cautious hand, the hinges creaking eerily from lack of use as they swung slowly forward. Sasuke stepped fully through, and paused as he took a moment to fully take in the room he had walked into.

It was nothing grand, or even remotely special in any way. In fact, the room was very much similar to the main chamber, and had there not been a large, framed painting of the Sandaime hanging squarely in the middle of the opposite wall with an elegantly engraved number 'three' underneath, he would never have thought that one of Konoha's great Hokages once occupied this room. He stepped to one of the shelves lining the side of the room, running a gloved hand wonderingly over the smooth surface which supported various documents and scrolls, appreciatively taking in the clean, dustless condition of the furniture. The room must have undergone one last cleaning before it was sealed away, never to be opened again until almost a decade later, by his own two hands. He frowned slightly as he drew back, forcing himself to snap things back into perspective. He was on a mission, hardly the time to be dawdling and soaking in the atmosphere.

Sasuke made his way to the far end of the shelf, where he began to swiftly rifle through the stacked papers and scrolls, his hands efficient and yet gentle as he handled the old and sometimes brittle documents. It was not in his intentions to damage any of the records. If there was one thing he knew, it was respect. His high upbringing had taught him that, and, even though he was stealing information, he wasn't about to make a mess of it.

He scanned the shelves, briefly skimming through a scroll in each section for any mention of the Kyuubi no Youko or Konoha's defense mechanism. '_Defense mechanism_,' he inwardly mused, '_They sure named it to sound intimidating. As if it was a complicated jutsu or weapon._' He snorted. If his hunch was right, then Konoha's ultimate defense was actually a mere guard dog.

His breath hitched as his eyes passed and immediately focused back onto a phrase he had skimmed over.

_[-the Kyuubi no Youko's power in order to protect the village, but only as a last resort. However, I refuse to allow any further conditioning, for doing so may prove damaging to the mind of the weapon-_

He frowned in slight disappointment when he realized the rest of the document contained information that he already knew. Even then, he felt a small surge of excitement. He was on the right track. He was so close! This proved that the Sandaime was in charge of whatever creature Konoha had possession of, the feared weapon that was the reason he was sent to this village in the first place. He placed the scroll back in its spot on the shelf, his fingers smoothly skimming over the rest of the documents in that particular section, only to get increasingly frustrated as mentions of the Kyuubi no Youko remained minimal, only a phrase here or there but no actual in depth explanation.

He frowned as he stepped back, his arms falling tensely at his side as he took a couple of deep breaths to reign in his irritation. To come so close, and yet find nothing. He was at his wit's end. He had been so sure, so confident that the information he needed was to be found in the Sandaime's personal records. What will he do now? It wasn't as if he could break into the Godaime's records. He wasn't conceited enough to believe that he could pull off such a stunt and escape without arousing suspicion. The seals and locks on the current Hokage's personal chamber were bound to be even more complex, and the fact that the Godaime Hokage herself probably visited it regularly…

No. It just wasn't possible.

Sasuke ran a hand through his inky black hair and heaved a frustrated sigh. He'd come so far. He was ready to finish this mission. So completely ready. He wanted, no, _needed_ to go back. Needed to leave this place. Needed to leave this village.

If only to stop seeing things in shades of orange, blue and gold.

Gold.

Sasuke blinked.

Gold.

He narrowed his eyes. Sasuke took one step forward, reaching out a tentative hand towards the bottom shelf where, in the darkly shadowed, almost inconspicuous corner, a sliver of rich yellow gleamed imperceptibly. His fingers met hard surface – something smooth, something metallically cold – and he firmly gripped the object's side, dragging it out of its concealed position and into the dull, yellow-orange glow of the torches.

It was a box. A beautiful, ornate box that seemed to be made out of pure high-quality gold. What else could explain its shine, its impressive luster? But what made it truly beautiful wasn't its colour or even its shine. It was the intricate design etched into the top lid – the growling fox framed by its nine swirling tails, eyes of fiery ruby ablaze as it seemed to stare back at Sasuke, malicious intent as clear as day.

And Sasuke's breath hitched. Not because he was in awe of the amazing craftsmanship that was clearly put into the object in front of him, but because, deep in his gut, he realized that this was it. This was what he had been searching for. Almost half a year of working undercover, half a year of tedious searching, and this was it – the end, the finish, the finale!

It was almost over.

And had Sasuke not been a proud Uchiha, his hands would have shook as he placed them both on the lid, hooking his thumbs under the slightly protruding edge and _lifted_.

His eyes stared dispassionately at the sight in front of him, his hands slowly splaying flat on either side of the open box.

For in the aforementioned box, its interior lined with rich, red velvet, was nothing but a small dip in the bottom cushioning…

…the only sign that there had once been something there.

**-LineBreak-**

'_This wasn't…there should've…everything was supposed to be over!!_'

A fist went flying and embedded itself deep into plaster. Sasuke ignored the jarring pain that jolted up his arm as he yanked his hand roughly out of the wall, all his senses focused on that boiling mass of anger and disappointment deep in the pit of his stomach as he strode angrily to the bed, sitting himself down none too gracefully. His breathing was ragged as he fought to leash in his rage, his hands clenching tightly onto the blankets beneath him as he gazed dispassionately at his slowly whitening knuckles. Deep inside he knew he was being irrational, that all this was just a little set back and didn't warrant such an outburst, but still…

_**Pressure on his lips as soft ones touched his.**_

The soft quilt was hurled across the room, rippling in its descent through the air until it gathered into a small pile in the corner. Sasuke buried his face in his hands and groaned, his fingers scraping harshly through his scalp as if to physically wrench away the memory. He took a deep breath and sighed, removing his hands from the vicinity of his head and scooting himself farther onto the bed, splaying himself on the comfortable mattress. He felt himself instantly calm down as the subtle scent of earth and soap and a hint of ramen assaulted his senses, and when he caught himself purposefully taking deeper, longer breaths, he gritted his teeth and rubbed a hand tiredly over his eyes.

What was this? Was this an obsession? He really didn't know, didn't _want_ to know. He had only wanted to get this mission over and done with and get back to his one goal in life. After all, _he_ was still out there, roaming free.

He had no time for distractions.

Unconsciously taking one last deep breath, Sasuke pulled himself into a sitting position, looking over to the side where the gaping hole caused by his fist stood out quite obviously in the wall. He mentally set a reminder to buy some materials to patch it up, thankful that Naruto was sent out on an overnight mission and wouldn't be coming back until that evening.

He reluctantly got up from the bed, slowly making his way over to where the blanket he had previously flung lay in a rumpled heap in the corner of the room. He bent over and gathered it up off the floor, folding it neatly in his arms, and was just about to turn around to place it back on the bed when he paused. He slowly got down on his knees, putting the blanket he was holding to the side as he crouched down, leaning over to take a closer look.

There was a small, almost imperceptible break in the wooden floorboards, a crack so faint that he would never have noticed it if he wasn't already up-close. His brows furrowed as he leaned even closer, his sharp eyesight taking in how the panel in the corner jutted out ever so slightly, the faint dents along the border giving the impression that it had been wrenched up on more than one occasion.

For a moment, curiosity warred with sensibility, and it was a full second before he found himself reaching into his weapons pouch and pulling out a kunai. He slid the tip of the blade into the edge of the jutting floorboard and, maneuvering it like a lever, shifted the panel enough so that it lifted clean off the floor. Putting his kunai down, he used his hands to wrench the wood until it came free from the surrounding panels, revealing a hollow compartment about one foot deep. From his vantage point, he could make out a rectangular object, and with only a millisecond of hesitation he reached both hands in a pulled it out.

It was a box, plain and simple in design, and a completely inappropriate part of Sasuke wondered if he was going to stumble upon secret boxes all day. He brushed a thumb over the bare wood of the lid, noting how it was actually very clean regardless of how much dust was accumulated in the hole in the floor at which he had retrieved it from. It looked plain and insignificant, not at all like the lavishly decorated box he had found in the Sandaime's chamber, but then again…

He lifted the lid, fighting down the amused idea that what if there was nothing in this box either, and blinked when he realized that he needn't worry. It so happened that the box did hold something, many somethings to be exact. Relatively small, rectangular papers were piled, face down, in the box. And it wasn't until Sasuke took the pile out and turned it over did he realize that the 'papers' were actually photographs.

Photographs of Naruto.

A younger Naruto.

And before he knew it, Sasuke found himself leafing through the photos, completely unaware of the gentle smile slowly blooming on his face as he flicked through the blonde's childhood memories. There was one with Naruto and the old man – Sasuke's eyes widened as his gaze snapped to the framed photograph that sat on top of the blonde's bedside table. The same elderly man whose portrait he had seen on his previous little excursion to the records chamber! The old man...the old man was the Sandaime? Naruto knew the Sandaime at a personal level? He ran a hand through his inky-black hair. Well, the dobe truly was full of surprises.

He flipped the next photograph over. At the ramen stand this time. Naruto was perched on top of a stool, his bottom barely on the edge of his seat in his excitement as the stool itself was balancing precariously on two legs. He had an arm thrown casually around – and Sasuke paused as he ruffled through his mind for the right name – Iruka, a grin on his face that threatened to rival the sun, his other hand brought up in a perky peace sign. Iruka was smiling, although he seemed slightly distracted as his eyes were trained, not on the camera, but on Naruto's awkwardly balanced stool.

Another picture, also at Ichiraku, included Naruto enthusiastically slurping up the most humungous bowl of ramen Sasuke had ever seen, the old man that was the shopkeeper smiling jovially from behind the counter as he seemed to be placing another (equally large) bowl beside the blond.

A different setting this time. By the training grounds, Sasuke presumed. The cheerful blond was situated in the midst of his group of friends – always the brightest, always the happiest. The photo seemed to catch the blond mid-laugh, the vivid twinkle of his blue eyes obvious even when put down onto paper. Even Sasuke allowed himself a small smile as the absolute Naruto-ness of the picture.

The next picture made Sasuke pause. For a minute, he wondered why Naruto looked so much older in this photograph, and it was only when he sat back and took in the whole picture did he make sense of the situation. No, the person in the picture wasn't Naruto. Naruto's hair wasn't as long, his jaw not as strong. And he never recalled Naruto having a female acquaintance with flaming red hair. And then there was that little bundle in the lady's arms, the bundle that showed a small, slumbering infant head crowned by tufts of golden hair…

Sasuke shook his head roughly. This might not be what he thought at all. It could be a coincidence…

And he flipped the photograph around, hoping for some more information, perhaps an explanation. The words he saw written there in Naruto's chicken-scratch handwriting caused all emotion to slip from his face.

Dead centre of the blank reverse side of the photograph were six words. 'Namikaze Minato' was scribed on the very top, below that the name 'Uzumaki Kushina'. And at the very bottom, as if added on later as an afterthought, were two meekly written words – 'And me'.

_Namikaze Minato_

_Uzumaki Kushina_

_And me._

That woman was Naruto's mother. And the man, he knew that man. He had, after all, done his research prior to his mission. And the man was looking at the bundle in the woman's arms, with an expression so full of pride and adoration that it could not be mistaken for anything else. And his features…so similar. It was completely obvious.

And he, Uchiha Sasuke, was a fool.

"_**Well, a couple of villagers found me abandoned by the gates early that day, just before the Kyuubi attacked. So everyone kind of believed that I was the cause of the Kyuubi attacking the village. The older generation don't like me very much."**_

Sasuke numbly smoothed the pad of his index finger over the two bottom words, the crooked, childish writing that was so very familiar. And yet, he wasn't very sure if he wanted it to be familiar anymore.

_And me._

_And me._

_And-_

_-me._

He knew all along. And even then…

"_**-villagers found me abandoned by the gates early that day-"**_

All lies, huh?

"Yo! Sasuke! I'm home!" The obnoxious voice range through the air, closely followed by the crash of a closing door. "Hello? Sasuke?" The sound of steadily approaching footsteps. "Bastard! Where are you? You know, the least you can do is welcome me back with a refreshment or something. Even your bitter-as tea will do."

The door was opened to admit Naruto into the bedroom, still decked in full – albeit slight grungy – ninja gear, a slight frown on his face as he realized that Sasuke was indeed here all along. "What the hell are you doing in my room, bastard?" Blue eyes widened as they veered off course. "What the hell?! Is that a hole in my wall?!" Naruto spluttered as he quickly strode over to inspect the obvious gaping cavity in the side of his room. "Damn it, asshole, baa-chan's gonna kill me!"

After ten seconds of cold silence and not even a patronizing 'hn' from his bodyguard, Naruto lifted his eyes from their intense scrutiny of the bedroom wall to fix upon Sasuke's unresponsive back. Well that…was certainly strange. He had expected Sasuke to say something, reply that he had just wanted to piss the blond off, or heck even flash him a smirk or a pissed-off grunt. He had been with Sasuke long enough to know that even though the Uchiha was supposedly about as emotional as a boulder, there was always some small, almost imperceptible reaction, whether that be a tiny twitch of the lips or a sharp glint in the eye. No, something was definitely wrong.

Naruto bit his lip, not quite sure how to go about Sasuke's weird behavior. He took a tentative step towards the figure sitting in the corner of the room. There was just something about Sasuke's stance that made him feel tense. Naruto tiredly rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he stopped about a meter from Sasuke's back. He really had a bad feeling about this. "Are you okay? You know, if you had a valid reason for putting a hole in my wall then I'm willing to hear it ou…" He trailed off as something thin, white and square slid across the smooth floor towards him, spinning and spinning until it came to a wedged stop at his toes. He bent down to pick up the object, and when he flipped it around and brought it up to his face, his expression turned instantly blank.

"The last time I looked up the word 'abandoned', I was sure it didn't include having a happy family," came Sasuke's low monotone.

The blond tore his gaze away from the photograph in his hands. "What were you doing looking through my stuff?" Naruto asked, voice equally low, equally calm.

"Did you pick up your little story from one of your orphan friends?" Sasuke continued, ignoring Naruto's previous question. A hard edge crept into his tone. "Or did you make it all up yourself?"

"What the _hell_ were you doing snooping through my stuff?!" Naruto was angry now. That bastard! How dare he…?!

Sasuke stood up and turned around, and it was the first time that day that Naruto saw his face. Lips were twisted into a sardonic smile, and there was a dark glint in Sasuke's eyes that Naruto had never seen before. Naruto didn't like it at all. That expression didn't fit Sasuke. "What, Naruto? You wanted a little pity?" And that bitter smile grew into something akin to an ugly grin, though it managed to look more like a snarl. "I pity you. Though I must have been a complete idiot to fall for your pathetic lies."

There was a _whoosh_ of air and, in less than even a second, Naruto had pushed Sasuke up against the opposite wall, hands gripping painfully tight onto the dark-haired nin's shoulders. Pain lanced through Sasuke's back as he collided harshly against the wall, but it was of slight importance compared to the need to stare back into those angry eyes that seemed to burn with blue flame.

Naruto let out a low growl, his slightly sharp canines bared as he leaned even closer into Sasuke, as if daring the Uchiha to push him out of his personal space. "Shut the _hell_ up," Naruto gritted out, "You have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

Anger coursed through Sasuke, much faster and sharper than the pain had just moments before. Didn't know what he was doing, was he? Stupid, was he?

And Naruto let out a pained grunt as a knee imbedded itself strongly into his stomach. He staggered backwards, only managing to take a single gasping breath before a hard fist collided into the side of his face, the force so strong that he was thrown off his feet. Naruto crashed into the opposite wall, his body sliding down into a dazed heap on the floor.

Sasuke was breathing hard, his stony composure long since discarded. Right now, he only knew pain. Pain and anger. Pain and betrayal. "You're a rotten liar, Uzumaki." And he watched as Naruto lifted his head, groaning gently, eyelids fluttering open to reveal dazed, angry blue eyes. Two gazes locked. "But then again, you fooled me," his voice was harshly bitter, and Naruto felt each word like a knife, "So maybe you're not so stupid after all."

By all means, those words on any other occasion would have caused a happy, giddy feeling in Naruto, but at this moment, they just hurt. There was a twinge of pain in his chest that had absolutely nothing to do with the developing bruise on his back, and it fueled him to pick himself up, regardless of how his muscles seemed to scream in protest.

Sasuke watched as the blond slowly pulled himself to his feet, staggering slightly at one point, and Sasuke gritted his teeth when he had to forcefully stop his body from moving forward. Naruto's head was down, as if contemplating his feet, and Sasuke heard an incoherent mumble.

Sasuke frowned. "What?"

"I said," Naruto started, in a slightly louder voice this time, "I never told anyone."

Sasuke had to pause a bit before he realized what Naruto was talking about. "So you managed to lie to the whole village as well. Maybe you should get a trophy," came the snide comment.

Naruto ignored him, plowing on regardless. "They hate me, Sasuke." For some reason, he felt like he needed to explain himself, needed to make Sasuke understand. He didn't like that look Sasuke was giving him. He really didn't. Sasuke just needed to understand. "I didn't want to bring shame to his name. They didn't need to know."

There was a moment when all was quiet, and Naruto looked up. Did Sasuke get it? Did Sasuke understand?

"So you're not only a liar, but a coward as well."

Naruto's heart sank and the pain in his chest increased tenfold.

"It only proves that you're spineless, Uzumaki. You're a loser."

It hurt. It truly did. Hurt like salt rubbed into an open wound. Hurt like fire licking the skin. It _burned_. Sasuke didn't understand. Wouldn't, it seemed. Didn't want to.

He didn't have to.

And as the hurt fueled his previously set aside anger, Naruto's fists clenched and he lunged. Sasuke wasn't prepared as a swift swing caught him right in the jaw and he staggered backwards, only to stumble again as a successive swing struck his right cheek bone. "Fuck you," Naruto snarled as his fist lashed out again, this time only scraping the skin as the Uchiha seemed to gather his senses, "I hate you, bastard! _I hate you_!!"

Sasuke dodged the punches, putting himself out of the path of those deadly fists. For his lack of height, Naruto definitely made up for it in brute strength.

But they were in a relatively small room, and the fact that their fighting was anything but controlled only added to the probability of a mistake. So when Naruto's fist missed Sasuke's perfect nose and imbedded itself into the plaster of the wall much like how Sasuke's had done earlier that morning, the dark-haired nin knocked away the blonde's oncoming punch with his forearm and used that moment of vulnerability to aim a fist right into the side of Naruto's cheek. "Fucking moron," Sasuke gritted out from between clenched teeth as he let his fist swing again, "The feeling's mutual," and he swerved around, positioning himself directly behind the blond with an arm locked against a tanned throat, "I hate you too."

Naruto growled, a low guttural sound from the base of his throat that was more animal than human, and struggled violently against the pressure tight at his neck. But Sasuke's grip was strong, and it only tightened the more he thrashed around. Then there were hot breaths against his ear and Naruto gritted his teeth. "Did you hear me, loser?" Sasuke's voice was a harsh, raspy whisper, each of the following words clearly enunciated. "I…hate…you."

From his vantage point, Sasuke wasn't able to see Naruto's eyes flash a momentary blazing red, but he did feel how a foot was suddenly rammed painfully into his right knee, causing it to buckle and the grip against the blonde's neck to falter. Naruto used that split moment to twist around, and Sasuke was met with a hard elbow crashing into the side of his skull.

He rolled backwards, until he was a considerable distance from the blond before getting up on his feet as fast as he could, his skull throbbing fiercely and his senses slightly woozy. He was sure that if he had brought his hand up at that moment to feel that excruciating spot on his scalp, his fingers would come away dyed a bloody crimson. He focused his attention across the room where Naruto stood in a half-crouch, intense blue eyes narrowed fiercely.

Threateningly.

And their bodies tensed, their eyes engaging in mutual understanding as they felt the silent countdown hanging over their heads.

…3…

Their fists clenched.

…2…

Their feet nudged wider.

…1…

And they both pounced, every muscle braced as they met in the middle of the room, skin on skin, bone on bone. Fists flung and arms clashed, pale skin on tanned, every hit painful. Every hit meant to hurt. Meant to cause pain.

And every solid punch and sweeping kick was received. For this was a fight of wills. All offense. No defense.

Sasuke grunted when the heel of Naruto's palm was slammed into his lower jaw, and he retaliated by throwing a hit of his own that landed with a satisfying thud on Naruto's temple. He felt that growing rage in the pit of his stomach burn, only intensifying as the fight wore on. He was angry. So very angry. Angry at the world. Angry at Orochimaru. Angry at this mission. Angry at his carelessness. Angry at Naruto.

Angry at himself.

And when Naruto jammed a knee deep into his abdomen and he stumbled backwards slightly, his feet entangled themselves in something and he slipped, felt his centre of gravity pull out from under him and his hands lashed out, reflexively grabbing onto the only thing closest to him which just happened to be Naruto. They both fell in a heap of tangled limbs, their grip slipping and sliding as the blanket under them slid smoothly against the wood of the floorboards.

They scrabbled around, unable to find purchase as every time they managed to grip something or another their body would slip and they'd be left scrabbling again. It clumsied their movements. Finally, the result of lots of furious kicking and thrashing, Sasuke managed to shove the blankets out from under him and, not wasting even a second, gripped Naruto's arm tightly and hauled himself over the blond, straddling him. He locked Naruto's arms to the side of his body with his knees, putting his full weight on the harsh grip that he had on Naruto's tanned shoulders. The blond struggled valiantly, all the while shooting daggers with his eyes at the dark-haired shinobi above him.

Seeing the blond struggle within his grip caused a warm feeling to pool in the pit of Sasuke's stomach, but he ignored it, preferring to focus on that rage, that anger.

Naruto wriggled determinedly, but when he was able to tug an arm out from between the side of his body and Sasuke's knees, a vice-like grip encased his free wrist and slammed it down harshly against the floor beside his face. Naruto growled up at Sasuke, a gesture that Sasuke returned in kind. "I didn't," Sasuke snarled out, as his eyes narrowed dangerously, "I didn't need a fucking friend!"

Rage bubbled within Naruto and he bucked wildly, surprising Sasuke whose grip faltered, allowing Naruto to turn the tables and straddle _him_ instead. Naruto pulled back a fist and Sasuke, having his arms locked at his side just like how he'd done with Naruto, closed his eyes and waited for the blow. There was a deafening _crash!_ and Sasuke braced himself for the surge of pain…which never came.

Sasuke opened his eyes and turned his face to the side to see a tanned fist clenched on the floor beside him, a mini crater surrounding it. He looked up at Naruto, whose eyes were closed, lips quivering slightly even as his tanned face seemed to be schooled into a forced calm. Eyelids fluttered open to reveal dark blue eyes filled with resentment and anger.

Resentment and anger and _hurt_.

"I don't care," was the soft, raspy reply that came from Naruto's dry lips. And the blond lifted himself off of Sasuke, not glancing back even as he walked – a slight limp in his step – out the bedroom and out the front door.

Sasuke remained on the floor, even long after the front door swung closed and he was left alone. He lay there, in the silence he had once preferred so much, even as the day wore on and the sun began to set.

When the room was cloaked in inky darkness would he then pick himself up and drag his battered body to the shower. Afterwards, he would carefully disinfect the cuts he received from overly sharp nails and bandage the parts where a powerful tanned fist broke through the skin.

That night, Naruto slept over at Iruka's place.

Sasuke slept outside over on the roof of the opposite house. From there, he was able to watch over Naruto's sleeping form.

**-LineBreak-**

That night, even as Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto slept away from the Hokage tower, a dark figure crept silently through the village, scaled the tower walls before slipping noiselessly inside the Hokage's office.

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

I'm so sorry for leaving you guys chapterless for about a month. I really hadn't expected such a long break. But school's just started and I've been swamped with homework. Those of you in school would probably understand. I haven't by any chance lost any readers have I? Oh god, I hope not!

For those of you who're still with me and probably have the patience of a saint, please do tell me how you liked this chapter. Good? Bad? Absolutely crappy? I'm willing to listen to any point of view.

**Plus I've got a horrible cold at the moment and I think reviews would really help me on the way to recovery (hint hint nudge nudge)! –waggles eyebrow-**

Need I tell you guys how much I love you all?

Here are the replies to the reviews that I couldn't contact directly:

_**ddd**_: Thanks for your constant reviewing! You know, I don't think you've ever missed a single one of my chapters! Waaaahh, you're so awesome! Hope you liked this chapter!

_**Murasaki**_: Heh, I'm actually horrible at doing cliff hangers. I've read so many fanfics where the author leaves a really awesome and suspenseful cliffhanger and I've been left cursing in my seat because I'd have to wait for the next chapter to be put up. Unfortunately, no matter how many times I've fallen for cliffhangers, I've never actually learned the art of how to create any of my own. -sigh- Please do tell me any mistakes or points that catch your eye. I really love the fact that you're not afraid to comment on something that you think can be improved in my story. Er…does that make me a masochist? -scratches head-

_**no name:**_ Lol. Short and sweet huh?

**Signing out, guys!!**

- Nine1991 -


	12. And it begins

Author's Note: Ah

**Author's Note:** Waaah! I know I'm a horrible authress! How dare I leave you guys chapterless for over a month! I'm sooooooooooorrrrrryyyyyyyyyy!

**Warning:** YAOI (Content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing, suggestive content.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

**("TAoF" – JD01)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 12: And it begins…

Tsunade yawned loudly, not at all caring that her actions were very much unbefitting of her position as Hokage. Frankly, she didn't care. If she had to sit through this outrageously dull report, then she'd damn well yawn as many times as she wanted to!

The Hokage propped an elbow on the table, making a big show of resting her cheek against the back of her hand as she shot the droning Chunin in front of her a look that clearly portrayed that yes, she was bored, and no, she did not give a rat's ass about some old villager's complaints on ninjas flitting over the roof of his house at the crack of dawn each morning. The aforementioned Chunin stuttered a little in his report as he noticed the Hokage's bored disposition, not sure if he should continue talking or not. He plowed on hurriedly when the Hokage encouraged him to carry on with a lazy wave of her hand.

"-a-and he requested that a trespassing charge be set for any future travelings across his roof." The Chunin lowered the report in his hands, willing down his nervousness as he waited for the Hokage's reaction.

Tsunade's eyebrows were up, her lips slightly pursed in mild contemplation as the nails of her free hand tapped out a steady rhythm on the table top.

…_tap tap tap tap…_

…_tap tap tap tap…_

…_tap tap tap tap…_

The Chunin fidgeted in his spot, almost afraid to move at the awkward silence. Was she angry? Shit. Was he going to get demoted? Damn it! He didn't want to go back to D-class missions.

…_tap tap._ "Is that the whole of Hishoku-san's complaint?"

The Chunin straightened. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade shifted in her seat, her pointer finger tapping her lip in thought. "Tell him that I distinctly remember a time when he was an over-eager Chunin, religiously training at the first light of dawn and how he'd have to cross old man Genki's roof each morning in order to get to the training grounds. Tell him that I remember old man Genki storming into the Sandaime's office, demanding recompense for his lost sleep, and tell him that I will give him the same advice the Sandaime gave old man Genki." She leaned forward, almost conspiratorially, and the Chunin found himself tilting closer. "I recommend-" and her face was all seriousness, "-_earplugs_."

The Chunin blinked. "Ea…earplugs?"

Tsunade nodded, her expression solemn. "Yes. Earplugs." She folded her hands primly on her lap, leaning back into her chair. When the Chunin remained frozen, seemingly aghast and at a temporary loss of motor functions, Tsunade gave him a pointed look, a saccharine smile spreading across her face. "I believe you have a disgruntled villager to get back to."

"H-hai!" The Chunin gave a hassled bow, retreating perhaps at a quicker pace than what was normal.

As the Chunin hurriedly left, Shizune entered through the large office doors, shooting a suspicious glance at her friend and mentor who was cackling gleefully in her chair, a mischievous twinkle in her eye that reminded her of a particular loud-mouthed, knuckle-headed ninja. Perhaps Naruto had rubbed off on her dear friend in more ways than one. She almost felt sorry for that poor Chunin who must have been on the receiving end of their Hokage's strange sense of humor.

Tsunade hoisted up her feet and crossed them on the table top as Shizune dumped yet another tall pile of paperwork onto her desk so that it sat, quite imposingly, next to yesterday's pile. And the pile of the day before that…and the day before that. Ah, it was a beautiful day. As far as she was concerned, there _was_ no paperwork. Yes, ignorance was truly bliss.

"Perhaps, Tsunade-sama, you would like to finish legalizing last week's pile of documents by today," Shizune commented, carefully shifting aside each pile of paperwork on the overcrowded table as far as they could to the left, so she could squeeze in that day's pile onto the last square area of empty table. She looked on in dismay as almost half of it hung precariously over the side. "If this carries on I'm going to have to start leaving them on the floor."

Tsunade snorted as she leaned over the side of her chair. "Good, I won't see them that way." There was the sound of a drawer sliding open, and some rustling followed by the clinking of glass.

"Tsunade-sama! It's not even noon!"

The Hokage waved a dismissive hand as she poured herself a generous glass of sake. "It helps me focus," she said airily, before grumbling under her breath, "And I won't be sober enough to listen to those council nitwits…"

"You're the Hokage, Tsunade-sama," Shizune chided. "You have responsibilities – oh!" The dark-haired assistant looked on in dismay as the latest pile of teetering documents toppled off the desk, papers sliding across the floor every which way in a chaotic mess. Shizune sighed, before getting down on her hands and knees to gather up the important papers.

"If only I'd read the job description…" the Hokage mumbled, slowly swirling the glass of sake in her hand, her eyes locked on the clear, potent liquid as it sloshed around.

"To be Hokage, it's an honour, Tsunade-sama," came Shizune's voice from somewhere in the proximity of the floor in front of her desk.

Tsunade brought up a hand, her fingers lightly tracing the smooth area below her collarbones where a long, stone pendant once lay. Her thoughts strayed to the pendant, and to its current possessor. The loud, boisterous, blond boy with a big, big dream. A small smile broke upon her lips as she whispered, "Yes, it _is_ an honour, isn't it…"

The Hokage took in a deep breath and heaved a sigh, pulling a document off the top of the nearest pile and placing it in front of herself. She picked up a pen, twirling it deftly between her fingers as she read the first sentence printed on the paper. If she was going to finish last week's paperwork by tonight, she would need to work quickly. With her previous smile still lingering on her lips, she downed the cup of sake in her hand.

Shizune grinned as she heard the long-awaited rustling of paper from the direction of the Hokage. She knew that it was only a matter of time before her dear friend went to work. As lazy and uncaring as the Hokage was, she really did take her job seriously. Most of the time, anyway. Shizune sat back on her heels as she straightened up the pile of documents she had finished gathering up. Her lips pursed in concentration as she flipped through the pages, making sure they were all there, and she almost jumped straight up at the harsh clanging sound that suddenly resonated through the air. She turned around, only to find an empty sake cup rolling across the floor in loose, lazy circles before coming to a slow, gradual stop.

Shizune let out the breath she had been holding in, shaking her head as she stretched across the floor and grabbed the cup. Placing it on top of the pile of paperwork in her arms, she pulled herself up onto her feet. "Tsunade-sama, you really should go easy on the sa-"

The cup tumbled to the floor and the documents scattered, falling once more to the ground in a rippling fountain of papers as Shizune let out a startled cry. "Tsunade-sama!!"

Her legs suddenly felt like lead and she couldn't move fast enough. No, not nearly fast enough as she wrenched the Hokage's chair away from the desk. Not nearly fast enough as her fingers felt the alarming heart rate of her dear friend, took in the body wracked with seizures and the white, frothing foams leaking from the edges of pale, ghastly lips. Not nearly fast enough as she looked into pained, blood-shot eyes and realized there was nothing she could do.

Nothing.

That moment of helplessness was of one Shizune had never felt before.

And in her desperate mind, as tears ran down her face, she did the only thing she could do.

"Guards!!"

The ceiling seemed to shake as the doors were flung open almost instantly in answer.

"Lock down the village! _The Hokage has been assassinated!_"

**-LineBreak-**

…_beep…beep…beep…beep…_

Shizune's eyes were open but unseeing as she sat on a chair beside the hospital bed where the Hokage lay, her ears muted to all sounds so that even the constant beeping of the heart rate monitor seemed to fade into the background. In all of her most horrible nightmares she would never have expected anything like this to happen. For her dear friend, a Sannin, to fall…it had never seemed possible in her mind. And even though she was in the medical profession and knew, probably better than most, how delicate people actually were, such a human trait was one that she had never paired with her friend. And only now, when she was wrenched down to the horrible realization of just how completely wrong she was…it jarred her to the very core.

The door swung open and Shizune looked over her shoulder at the visitor.

Naruto, who had barged in like a raging storm, seemed to freeze at the sight of the hospital bed's occupant. Sasuke entered the room calmly behind him, shutting the door silently, before standing in the corner of the room.

"What happened." Naruto's voice was low as he took a tentative step forward, his tone wavering at the edges betraying his emotions.

Shizune seemed at a loss for words as she slowly stood up, raking her brain for something to say. How could she explain this? How would she tell him? She placed a gentle hand on his heaving shoulder. "Na-naruto-kun…"

"**What happened**!" Naruto was shouting now as he harshly brushed off the hand, his eyes wild and the expression on his face so heartbreakingly lost that Shizune faltered.

She clasped her hands together, and suddenly they were all she could bear to look at as she told the stricken blond in front of her what had happened. "Tsunade-sama's sake was drugged. We…I…didn't realize until it was too late." And she watched from the corner of her eye as Naruto seemed to crumbled, seemed to sway before he collapsed onto the now empty chair by the Hokage's bedside.

He placed his elbows on the soft mattress and buried his face wearily in his hands. He felt numb, and he was so tired. He had been on the other side of the village, doing a tedious D-rank mission, when he heard the news. He had ran all the way, and now, he felt like all that sudden adrenaline had dissipated and he was left boneless. So tired. His voice was slightly muffled by his hands as he asked, "What's going to happen now?"

"The poison is potent, but slow," and Shizune's voice broke as she continued, "I-it will take a day at most."

Naruto pulled away from his hands and turned to look at the dark-haired woman's gradually crumbling composure. His eyes were slightly red-rimmed. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

The only reply that Shizune was able to give was a slow shake of her head. It hurt too much to voice it aloud.

There was a muffled _thump_ as Naruto banged his fist on the bed in his anger, the mattress creaking loudly at the abuse. Sasuke, who had stood silently all the while in the corner of the room, took one step forward in the blonde's direction, but paused, as if rethinking the idea, and stepped back into the corner.

Naruto gave a watery, humorless laugh as he muffled his face in the white sheets, turning to look up at their esteemed Hokage's pale, unresponsive face. "Stupid baa-chan. I told you to quit the sake," he whispered. His voice crackled, and he seemed on the edge of tears.

Shizune felt one slide down her cheek and quickly wiped it away with the back of her sleeve.

Before the silence was able to get awkward, there was a knock at the door and a grave-faced Jounin entered the room. His eyes lingered on the Hokage's unmoving form and skimmed the faces of the room's other occupants before coming to land on Naruto's still back. "The council requests a meeting."

"Does it look like she can answer you?" Naruto remarked bitterly. His eyes not once left Tsunade's face.

The messenger Jounin fidgeted a little, looking slightly nervous before saying, "Actually, I'm here to escort Uzumaki Naruto to the meeting."

Finally, Naruto turned around to look at the new visitor, a confused expression on his face. "What did you say?" A soft hand landed on his shoulder and Naruto looked up at Shizune's serious face.

"In the case that a Hokage is…incapacitated, it is the job of the next candidate in line to take over-" and when Naruto seemed about to voice an angry argument she quickly added, "-temporarily. Only temporarily." She took a deep breath before continuing, "Naruto-kun, you're next in line."

Time seemed to freeze and Naruto felt like his heart had stopped beating. As if in a trance, he glanced back at the Hokage's gaunt face. The wrinkles that had been kept under careful lock and key by a timeless genjutsu had begun to show, staining the pale skin and marring the previously smooth areas of eye-rims and lip-edges. And now that he saw, finally saw what she looked like in the cruel light of old age, he realized that she was right all along. It didn't suit her, this old, wrinkled skin. No, it didn't suit her at all. His hand strayed to his chest where the cool feel of the long, stone pendant lay against his own skin.

Naruto stood up so abruptly that the chair he had been sitting on almost flipped backwards. His hand fell back at his side as he turned to Shizune, a set expression on his face. "Temporary?" his voice was soft, his blue, blue eyes locked with Shizune's own.

Shizune nodded, and managed to muster up a shadow of a smile. "Temporary."

Naruto's jaw clenched, as well as his fists, and he looked resolute as he turned and walked to the door, where the Jounin escort stood silently waiting.

Even though it remained unsaid, they both knew that, at the rate things were going, it would be anything but temporary.

**-LineBreak-**

"Move."

"You are not authorized to enter into the meeting room."

Sasuke growled. He attempted to side-step the ANBU member guarding the doors that Naruto had stepped through, only to have his way blocked once more. "I am his bodyguard," he gritted out, his temper spiking.

The masked ninja remained firm and unmoving. "Only council members and the Hokage's delegate are allowed past this door."

Sasuke clenched his fists and suppressed the urge to punch that taunting mask right off the guard's face.

**-LineBreak-**

Naruto glanced back at the door uneasily when he realized the lack of Sasuke's presence. He was on his own now. And even though there was a gathering of twelve or so men in the room with him, it didn't change the fact that he was alone. Completely alone.

The men – all dressed in dark, formal attire – were settled around a long, ornate, wooden table, and seemed to be locked in a heated discussion judging by their low, hushed voices. But at his entrance, they all seemed to pause, and suddenly he was under the full scrutiny of twelve, wise pairs of eyes. A few of them looked slightly surprised, and some others had stern, disapproving expressions on their faces. One man, whose face was marked with creases upon creases of age lines and was seated at one end of the table, stood up slowly, his wrinkled lips pursed and his eyes narrowed speculatively. His head gave a short nod, abrupt and jerky as if his neck was too tense to easily allow such an action. "The meeting has already commenced," the old man spoke, his voice low and baring surprisingly very minimal signs of the croakiness that was distinct to elderly people, "We were not aware that you would be joining us."

Naruto was confused. "I was summoned from the Hokage's bedside and was told that I was to attend this meeting." At his words, he didn't miss the sharp glance that the old man, who he surmised was the head council member, directed to a person sitting four seats down from his right. The person flinched, and Naruto noticed he was quite young when compared to the other council members sitting around him, probably in his early 40s, with long, brown hair half-tied neatly behind him in a fashion that reminded Naruto of Neji.

"Well," the old man said, and Naruto focused his attention back on the imposing figure. The was a polite smile on the man's face that was obviously forced. "I'm glad that one of our members was able to inform you." He gestured a hand towards the opposite end of the table where a broad-backed chair stood unoccupied. "Please do take a seat."

Naruto nodded, before making his way over to his seat, aware of the many pairs of eyes trained on him. Aware that most of them weren't friendly. His back straightened and he held his head high. No, he would _not_ show any sign of weakness.

The talking recommenced before he had even settled down in his seat, an obvious sign of disrespect that Naruto did not fail to notice.

"All Jounin and ANBU sent on missions must be called back immediately!" a grey-haired council member announced heatedly. "We will need the army in full strength-"

"We don't have the time!" Another, this time a hard-faced, balding man cut in. "It would be too late by then. We need to find an alternate means to deal with this crisis."

Another commented sternly, "Perhaps we should just simply give them what they want-"

"And what makes you think that they will not turn against us the moment we do!"

Naruto's focus switched back and forth between the various council members as they fought to vocalize their own ideas and the weak points of others. He was completely lost and didn't have a single inkling of what was going on. What were they talking about? Giving what to whom? What did this have to do with the Hokage being poisoned?

"We are left with _no choic_-"

"Maybe we should ask Kanzou-sama." All eyes turned to look at the solemn, green-eyed council member who had calmly made that suggestion, before switching, almost in unison, to the old head council member seated at the end of the table.

_Kanzou-sama_ seemed to consider his words, clasping bony, wrinkled hands on the table in front of him. He spent all of ten seconds contemplating, before he heaved a tired sigh, the lines along the crevices of his face deepening and spreading and only managing to magnify his worn features. "Supplying them with what they want is not an option," he started, and locked eyes with every other occupant of the table. Every occupant, that is, except for Naruto. "We will not give them the opportunity to use our own weapon against us." At this, a couple of heads nodded in agreement. "We will reply in negative," Kanzou continued, and this time Naruto was sure that the old man was deliberately avoiding his eye, "The Hokage's death will be a regretful but necessary sacrifice."

Everything else seemed to fade into the background, and Naruto couldn't believe his ears. The Hokage…a regretful but necessary…_sacrifice_…?! What was going on…? How could they…?

**No.**

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" Naruto's voice was a low growl, and if that wasn't enough to grab the council's attention then the loud _bang!_ that accompanied both his hands crashing flat on the table as he stood up from his seat surely did. The expression on his face was one of pure rage and for a moment his eyes flashed crimson as he glared at the man across from him. A few of the council members sitting closest to him edged away discretely.

"Sit down you impudent _child_ and reign in that demon of yours," Kanzou bellowed, also standing up from his seat. "We wouldn't want a repeat of the massacre that took place seventeen years ago, now would we?"

Naruto gritted his teeth to refrain from shouting out any overly foul words, his fists clenching and unclenching at the look of obvious disdain on the old man's face. "That demon has no control over me," he growled, "I want to know what's going on here!"

Kanzou's lips pulled back into a sneer as he eyed Naruto from head to toe, sizing him up, and the expression on his face showed that he thought very little of what he saw. His gaze veered a little to the side, before his head gave a little jerk that could be perceived as a nod. Naruto was puzzled at the action, but realized that it wasn't meant for him when the council member sitting to his right immediately stood up and went to retrieve something from one of the ornate side-tables that decorated the walls of the meeting room. The council member returned to his seat, but not before placing what seemed to be a small scroll in front of Naruto.

"That scroll was delivered by a messenger bird to the Hokage's office approximately an hour ago," Kanzou explained tersely, as Naruto picked the aforementioned item and started to unroll it. That seemed to be the only explanation Kanzou was willing to give, for he switched his attention back to the rest of the council members and the onslaught of voices intent on putting forth their ideas started once more.

Naruto was deaf to the world as he unfurled the miniature scroll. Neat, elegant handwriting was revealed to him, and he felt a sense of foreboding as he started to read.

_The poison currently flowing through the Hokage's veins is a slow-working, deadly hybrid that will take approximately five hours before it takes over the nervous system and eight hours before it reaches the respiratory system. After twelve hours, the respiratory system will completely collapse. The antidote is rare, and the price is high. If Konoha values its Hokage's life, then it will hand over the Kyuubi no Youko._

Naruto was silent as he calmly rolled the scroll back up. So that was it. That was what they wanted. The price the village had to pay for the life of their Hokage. It was only when his eyes actually focused that he realized his hands were shaking.

The council's discussion was in full swing, arguments flying back and forth about what they were to do, the armies they had to prepare, the allies they had to call in. They had already decided, he realized. They had already decided that their Hokage was going to die. They had calmly signed away the life that had lead their village for almost a decade.

So simply. So easily.

'_But they can't do that_,' somewhere inside him a voice growled. _It wasn't their place. No one had the right to sign away another person's life like they owned it. Not baa-chan's life. _

_Especially not baa-chan's life._

'_What can you do about it?'_ another voice this time. Darker. More sinister. It sneered. _You don't have the power. Look around you._

Naruto did.

_No one cares what you think._

They really didn't. None of the council members had even noticed that he had finished reading the scroll.

_What could you possibly do?_

The voice was right. What could he do?

_No respect. No rank._

He was only a Jounin after all.

_And you harp on about being Hokage._

It was his one primary goal.

_Taking silent comfort in the fact that your father's the Yondaime._

My father…

_You'll never be able to live up to him._

No, he never would.

_You'll never be able to save her._

How could he?

_You know why?_

Why?

_Because you're weak._

I'm weak.

_Spineless._

Spineless.

_Because you're a coward._

Because I'm a coward.

_Because you're a coward._

I'm a coward.

_Because you're a coward._

A coward.

_Because you're a coward._

I'm…

_A coward._

…a…

_Coward._

"_**So you're not only a liar, but a coward as well."**_

…a…

"_**It only proves that you're spineless, Uzumaki. You're a loser."**_

…a…

"_**Did you hear me, loser?"**_

…no.

No!.

"NO!"

There were gasps as the council members near his end of the table shrunk back, aghast. Kanzou's face was streaked with surprise, before morphing into an expression of fury.

Naruto's shoulders were heaving and there were small dents in the wood where his fists made contact with the table. His licked his lips and closed his eyes briefly, before opening them again. "No."

Kanzou looked outraged as his face twisted in his anger. "What is the meaning of th-"

"Konoha will not be sacrificing their Hokage's life."

"Be quiet! You wretched demon-"

"No!" Naruto's voice was sharp. "_You_ be quiet! This situation is considered a crisis that has a high possibility of endangering the lives of the villagers within Konoha. Such a crisis is under the jurisdiction of the Hokage, and as of current, _I_ am filling the role of Hokage."

Kanzou's eyes narrowed and it seemed a retort was at the tip of his tongue, but Naruto plowed on regardless.

"I will deal with this situation. And since this council has no responsibility in regards to this matter, I would like to initiate an end to this meeting-"

"What gives you the right, boy?" a council member halfway down the table snarled, a crooked finger pointed accusingly at Naruto.

Naruto turned his piercing gaze to the aforementioned council member, his shoulders relaxed and his head held high. "My father was the Yondaime Hokage," and there was another series of gasps and cries of disbelief, "I believe I have a hereditary voice in this council."

"How _dare_ you sully the name of the great Yondaime, you lowly orphan," Kanzou's drawl seemed to carry across the table.

Naruto's jaw clenched as he fought to remain calm. "I _am_ the son of the Yondaime-"

"And what proof do you have to justify your claim?"

Naruto gritted his teeth, and, at the lack of answer, Kanzou's thin, wrinkled lips broke into a self-satisfied smile. Naruto wracked his brain for something, anything, that could prove his heritage. The one who had informed him of his father's identity in the first place was the Sandaime, and since the Sandaime had long since passed away, the only people who might have been able to testify would have been his students. But since Tsunade was currently comatose and Jiraiya was nowhere to be found…

"I am willing to testify."

All eyes turned to the council member who had spoken those five words. Naruto was surprised to realize that it was the man sitting four seats down who Kanzou had glanced at in the beginning of the meeting when Naruto had told him that someone had summoned him. The man seemed to gather his courage together at the sudden attention he was given. His back straightened and some of his long, half-tied, brown hair slid off his shoulder to swing against his back. He said again, this time louder, "I am willing to testify Uzumaki Naruto's claim-"

Kanzou's face had turned faintly purple in his rage. "Tatsuo! What do you think you're doing-"

"-He is the son of the Yondaime. I saw it myself, when Naruto-san was born."

"You don't know what you're saying-"

"I believe I do," Tatsuo's voice was hard, and his face was determined as he locked eyes with Kanzuo, "I will _not_ keep your lies quiet anymore." There were collective gasps around the table and whispers began as eyes switched back and forth between Tatsuo's stern face, Kanzuo's shocked one, and Uzumaki Naruto. Tatsuo turned to Naruto before bowing low. "I apologize for not speaking up earlier Uzumaki-san."

Naruto smiled, and Tatsuo returned it with a tight smile of his own.

Kanzuo looked like he had been punched in the face as his mouth lay agape. He spluttered, "You can't-"

"I can," Tatsuo cut in, his tone clipped as he stood up gracefully from his seat, "And now, I believe this meeting is over. If I may leave, Uzumaki-san." He inclined his head towards Naruto.

Naruto nodded slowly, still slightly dazed.

Tatsuo gave another curt bow and briskly left the table, walking across the room and out the door without a single backwards glance.

Naruto had to fight back a smile from blooming across his face as he too got up and excused himself. He was genuinely surprised when many of the council members inclined their heads grudgingly, yet respectfully, in his direction as he left the table and walked out as well.

**-LineBreak-**

Sasuke watched as the blond appeared through the doors with a look of dazed contemplation on his tan, whiskered face. He walked quietly behind the blond as they travelled, at a slow pace, up the floors of the Hokage tower, reaching a room situated at the very top where countless messenger birds resided, ready to carry any message across the skies. He waited in the corner of the dark, dank room as the blond spent all of five minutes hovering over one of the writing tables, scribbling at a tiny scroll, periodically glancing up and staring into space as if in contemplation before returning to his writing.

When Naruto finally stood up, Sasuke was surprised to find not one, but two scrolls clenched in the blonde's hand. Naruto walked along the walls of the room where all the birds either lay resting or perched on their stands, every now and then stretching out a hand to stroke a hard beak or a soft wing. He ended up choosing one with a distinctly dark plumage, and it stood, tall and regal, on Naruto's outstretched arm. Moving to the other end of the room, Naruto bent down, and when he stood up straight there was a cage in his hand, inside of which a smaller bird with brown feathers stood, chained and agitated.

Naruto took both birds back to the writing table, placing the cage down on its surface and lowering his other arm so the large, black bird could hop off. Taking the brown bird gently out of its cage and unshackling it, he tied one scroll to its leg and another to the black bird's.

Softly, he cooed to the birds and encouraged them to hop back onto his outstretched arms. Walking calmly to the sole window in the room, his figure glowing gold in the light of the setting sun, he raised his arms and both birds took to the sky, flying in one straight path before splitting off into opposite directions. Into the horizon and out of sight.

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

-Scrunches up face- How lame was that ending, if I do say so myself. I kind of wanted something a bit more dramatic, something that kind of ends with a bang, with some -cue dramatic drumming- duhn _duhn_ _**duhn**_! But alas, I seem to have no talent in the art of cliffhangers. –sobs-

Anyway, I'm soooooo sorry for the humongous delay. School work, tests etc. I'm not even gonna bother boring you guys with my excuses. I know what I did was unforgivable. Can you guys ever find it in your hearts to forgive me? -puppy dog eyes-

**Please do tell me what you thought of this chapter**. We're more than halfway to the end! Yays!

Here are the replies to the reviews that I couldn't contact directly:

_**no name**_: Yeah, Sasuke and Naruto are in a little bit of a fight. Next chapter should be focused on them a lot more.

**_Lauralye_**: Thank you for reviewing so many times in one sitting! And your reviews are pretty long too! Lol. I can actually see step-by-step what you're thinking throughout reading each chapter and that's very refreshing.

_**ddd**_: Yeah, Sasuke's quite prone to extreme hissy fits. Must be because his so emotionally challenged and just bottles everything all up so that when it gets too much it just kinda explodes all in one go.

**_Kieuseru_**: -blushes- Thank you for complimenting my story. I really hope you liked this chapter. That is, if you haven't already given up by my slow updates.

_**Murasaki**_: I'm glad that you're loving the story! The lack of detail might be due to a difference in our writing styles like you said, or it just might be due to my laziness. -laughs sheepishly- My writing isn't very constant see, since sometimes I'm in a more absorbed mood where I just kind of get into the heart of the story and everything, and sometimes I just feel obligated to work on the story or I'll never finish the chapter. Which, I know, is really bad when it comes to writing. But I really hate to leave you guys hanging, and I kinda figured a 'not-so-amazing' chapter is better than no chapter at all. But I have taken your comments to heart and I will try to add engrossing details where they should be. I really quite appreciate your inputs since I am trying to improve my writing. And it's not like any of my English teachers are going to take it easy on me when I'm handing in a writing piece, so I might as well get used to suggestions for improvement right now. Heh, I just realized, my replies to your review are always really long. Anyway, do tell me how you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for the review!

**Please review! I love all reviews! -sigh- Yes, I'm addicted.**

- Nine1991 -


	13. Fracture

Author's Note: Ah

**Author's Note:** -prepares to duck rotten tomatoes and sharpened pitchforks- Play nice now, people. I know it's been a long time. So don't let me hold you up from reading this chapter…

**Warning:** YAOI (Content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing, suggestive content.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics **_flashbacks

P.S. to JD01: I really did try, but the linebreaks just wouldn't save! -bawls- Maybe it's just me...

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

**("TAoF" – JD01)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 13: Fracture

_--Seventeen years earlier--_

The loud shrieking of a newborn infant could be heard from all the way down the hall. High and piercing. Like a siren. And had the young man – who was no older than twenty-two and dressed in the prim garments of a council messenger – not been in such a hurry to deliver his news, he would have paused to marvel at the strong pair of lungs the child must've been born with. But he had no time for such a thought, and as a loud explosion sounded in the distance, far and yet so much closer than the last one, he quickened his pace. The sole door at the end of the corridor seemed to take so long to reach. Too long.

They were running out of time.

The doors flew open under the push of his hands and he staggered into the room, wheezing, his lungs burning fiercely as he struggled to take in oxygen and speak at the same time. "H-hokage-sama! The demon is close. Five kilometers from the northern gates. It won't be long before it reaches the village." He let out a series of hacking coughs and his knees finally gave way, crashing painfully to the floor as his body surrendered to fatigue. A glass of water was thrust into his face and he accepted it gratefully, downing it all in just a few gulps and allowing it to sooth his parched throat.

He handed the glass back to the somber-looking midwife, who took it and gently helped him up. Necessity fueled his actions as he heaved himself to his feet, looking beseechingly at the back of the tall figure gazing out the far window. "O-our forces won't be able to hold out much longer. Hokage-sama, the village needs you to come up with a solution! We need you to…we need…" He trailed off as his eyes finally registered what they were seeing. The single bed beside the Hokage's standing form. The pure white sheet that covered it.

The outline of the body that lay lifelessly underneath.

His eyes widened in comprehension and he took a small step back, the message he was sent to deliver temporarily forgotten in his state of shock.

Namikaze Minato glanced over his shoulder before turning fully around, moving slowly as if any sudden movements would ruin everything, and it was then that the young messenger saw the mottled bundle of cloths cradled gently in his leader's arms.

It was an awesome sight indeed; their fearless Hokage bathed in the light of the setting sun, his eyes a cool, remote blue and his hair flecked with gold. The white robes on his form seemed to glow, the shades and hues of the light filtering in through the window dancing off the smooth fabric and making the flames that lined the hem come alive. And the young messenger, for all his awe and staring, felt a sense of foreboding. A sense of finality. A sense of impending…what he did not know.

For some reason, it felt like this was the end.

But that was all broken when the sound of yet another explosion (this time so much closer) rang through the room, causing the windows to rattle and shake and the floor to sway beneath their very feet in its intensity. The bundle in the Hokage's arms let out a piercing wail, and Minato's eyes softened as he looked down at the infant in his arms, tucking the bundle closer to himself as he strode calmly over to the waiting messenger. The loud crying gradually died down to tiny hiccups and whimpers as the newborn was soothed by the gentle rocking of his father's strides.

As the Hokage stopped in front of him, the messenger could not help but give in to the urge to sneak a peak at the Namikaze heir. And even though a very prominent part of his consciousness was reminding him that the village was in peril, that all their lives were very much in danger and that he really did not have the time to gawk and stare, it did not stop his neck from craning in an attempt to get a better view of the little life in their leader's arms.

The infant nestled in the bundle of blankets was definitely adorable, the kind of cuteness that gave the impression that the infant would grow up to be quite the good-looking individual. And with those fine strands of wispy corn-coloured hair, it left little doubt of to whom the child took after. Even in the severe inappropriateness of the situation, the messenger could not help but let his lips curve into a small smile. This child…yes. He had a feeling that this child, like his father before him, would bring about great changes to this village.

Minato gently brushed a thumb across his son's feather-soft cheek, his expression focused and yet dazed as if every ounce of his attention was trained on the bundle in his arms, as if the world around him – the village, the stampeding demon, the messenger not two feet in front of him – did not exist. As if the only thing that mattered was that he was able to hold this tiny little person close to him. He brushed his thumb across the chubby cheek again, and this time small lips parted, the cherub face turning towards the retreating thumb in a blind, instinctual search for nourishment. He moved his hand up to caress his son's downy, blond hair as he murmured softy, "I know a way to get rid of the Kyuubi."

It took a few seconds before the messenger realized that the Hokage was talking to him. "H-hokage-sama?"

Minato continued, never once taking his eyes off his son, "Since the Sandaime is currently not well and Sensei is missing…I am going to need your help."

The messenger's eyes widened in bewilderment, even as his back straightened and he stood taller. His help? Why on earth would the Hokage require _his_ help? A lowly messenger of all things. Wouldn't a ninja be of better use?

Minato paused, and he seemed to ponder his words, before a gentle smile spread across his face. He lifted the infant in his arms to place a soft, lingering kiss on the little forehead, his voice barely above a whisper as he murmured against the fine, golden hair, "He's beautiful, isn't he?" He brought the bundle down to rest once more against the crook of his arm. "Kushina and I have decided to name him 'Naruto'."

The messenger frowned. 'Naruto'? As in 'fish cake'? Well, it was certainly unique. Perhaps not a name he would consider giving to his own firstborn, but then again, who was he to judge?

The expression on Minato's face turned serious as he finally turned to face the messenger. "When this is all over, I need you to come and find my son. Find Naruto. He will be at the centre of it all." He stopped, and a flicker of anguish entered his eyes as he continued, "I need you to take care of him-"

"H-hokage-sama, what do you mea-"

Minato cut him off firmly. "Take care of him. Until the Sandaime recovers. Then take Naruto to him." Brilliant blue eyes bore into his own, and the messenger felt as if his very soul was being broadcasted for the world to see. "Can you do that?"

Could he do that? Could he really take care of the Yondaime's son? He felt himself nod, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

Minato's eyes softened in gratitude. "Thank you."

As his gaze turned back to his son, Minato made his way over to the sole bed in the room. He sat on the edge, balanced his son in the crook of one arm, and used his free hand to pull back the white sheet, revealing vibrant, auburn hair. As the Hokage placed a soft, tender kiss on the pale forehead of his beloved wife, the messenger felt his heart constrict painfully at the sight.

It was horrible, how cruel life was to some people. Their Hokage did not deserve this.

"I'm sorry for your loss," the messenger said, all the while feeling horrible that the only thing he could do was offer words. What good were words, really? Words changed nothing.

"Don't be," Minato replied, as he pulled the sheet back into its original position, "She died happy. And at least we managed to take one family picture." He smiled, even though it wasn't enough to mask the grief in his eyes.

Minato stood up, cradled his son in his arms and walked to the door, but not before stopping in front of the young messenger and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Tatsuo."

And Tatsuo watched as their Hokage walked out, a sinking feeling in his stomach telling him that this would be the very last time.

**-LineBreak-**

A half an hour after Namikaze Minato had left the Hokage tower, a huge chakra pulse swooped the lands, the light so bright and intense that all the ninjas fighting above ground had had to shield their eyes lest they be blinded, the tiny hairs at the back of their necks standing on end as the _zing_ of potent chakra surged across their skins. And just like that, the Kyuubi no Youko had disappeared.

The ninjas had spent some few minutes wandering around in a dazed bewilderment, an expression of wonderment on their faces as they questioned the miraculous possibility that a demon whose size towered over the tallest of buildings could just simply disappear in a flash of brilliant light. The ones who were more observant, who had seen the outline of the gargantuan frog in the horizon, had bowed low and cheered that their Hokage had once again saved the village. They had all then trooped on weary feet back to the welcoming gates of Konoha, all eager to embrace their parents, spouses, and children, all grateful to still be alive.

And it was while all the citizens of Konohagakure were making their way towards the village, that one lone figure made its way away from it.

Even though he had never undertaken the rigorous training of a ninja, Tatsuo had always been naturally blessed with the gift of speed. His ability to run much faster than the average person had been what secured him his job as a council messenger. And he was definitely putting his ability to use now, as he zipped through the forest at a steady pace, his eyes sharp on the lookout as the soft light of the moon did very little to alert him to protruding roots or jutting rocks in his path.

It was near midnight by the time his ears picked up the sound of familiar, high-pitched wailing. He shifted direction, his dwindling energy renewed by the sudden surge of hope that he had finally found what he was looking for.

His ears led him to a wide clearing, the majority of which was taken up by a large crater. And smack in the middle of that crater, little Naruto lay crying.

Tatsuo clambered down the shallow decline, his feet slipping and sliding in his haste to reach the distraught infant. As soon as he reached the centre of the crater, he bent down, hesitated for the slightest of moments, before scooping up the tiny child into his arms. Little Naruto's cries softened as he was held, reduced to small whimpers and hiccups that induced shudders throughout his little body. It was then that Tatsuo was reminded of the fact that the child would not have had anything to eat or drink since his birth, and must no doubt be dehydrated and starving. Supporting the baby in one arm, he used his free hand to reach towards his belt where his waterbottle was strapped. He had lacked the foresight to bring along a bottle of milk, so water would have to do for the time being.

With the help of dexterous fingers and fast reflexes (even though a lot spilled anyway), Tatsuo was able to thoroughly soak one of his clean hankerchiefs with water from the bottle. He brought the hankerchief up to the tiny lips, squeezed water droplets from the cloth and watched in fascination as the little mouth opened, like a baby bird to its mother, to eagerly accept the offered drink. Frail eyelids lifted slightly and Tatsuo smiled when he was greeted with brilliant blue orbs. Little Naruto pursed his tiny lips shut and huffed, turning his cherub face to the side, the water droplets sliding down his chubby cheek. It seemed that he had had enough water.

Tatsuo smiled as he withdrew the hankerchief. "Sorry, buddy. But water's all I've got right now." Bright blue eyes seemed to glare at him for just a moment, before screwing shut as a tiny mouth gave way to a yawn. Little Naruto huddled into the warmth of the person holding him, a small, chubby fist clenching the shirt of his savior. For now, fatigue would take priority over hunger.

Gathering up his things, all the while making sure that he did not jostle the infant snuggling in his side, Tatsuo clambered out of the crater. He was much more careful in his climb than he had been in his descent, and when he reached level ground, he promptly made his way back towards Konoha.

Thankfully, Naruto remained asleep throughout the entire journey, which did not surprise the young messenger as he figured the little tyke must have been crying for some hours before he was found, and that was bound to exhaust anybody.

As Konoha's gates came into view, Tatsuo quickened his pace. Naruto stirred a little in his arms, and he gently rocked the infant back to sleep, whispering softly, "Shhh. It's okay, buddy, we're almost home. When we get there I'll find you some warm milk to drink, eh? How does that sound to you?"

"That won't be necessary."

Tatsuo stopped in his tracks, his hold around Naruto tightening instinctively. A tall figure stood in their path, holding a lamp by his side. And as the lamp was brought up and the stranger's face was revealed in the glow of the flickering candle light, Tatsuo's eyes widened and his head dropped into a respectful bow. "Kanzou-sama."

The man, Kanzou, took a few steps forward, a kind smile on his severe face. "I thank you for retrieving the child." A hand outstretched. "I will be taking him now."

Tatsuo frowned as he unconsciously clutched Naruto closer to his body. "But, Kanzou-sama, I was told by Hokage-sama to take care of Naruto."

"Other plans have been made since then."

Tatsuo shook his head, and for the first time in his life, he raised stubborn eyes to higher authority. "I…I'm sorry, Kanzou-sama. I don't think I can. Hokage-sama…" he took in a deep breath and his resolve hardened, "Hokage-sama said that I am to care for Naruto-san until the Sandaime recovers."

There was a harsh silence at that remark, and the kind smile on Kanzou's face disappeared as his features hardened and his expression turned stern. The outstretched hand fell slowly to his side, clenched and unclenched before relaxing. "You are a smart boy, Tatsuo. I'm sure you must be aware that Hokage-sama would not have been thinking clearly given his situation at the time. What with the death of his dear wife…"

The messenger bit his lip. He had seen himself the multitude of grief in their leader's eyes.

Kanzou's gaze remained fixed on the young man before him, his voice low as he spoke, "Grief is a strong influence, Tatsuo. It can make the smartest of people overlook details." He took two steps forward. "That infant in your arms is no ordinary child."

Tatsuo stiffened, his eyes flickering towards the bundle in his arms before returning to the council member.

"Are you aware of what means the Hokage has taken in order to defeat the Kyuubi?" Kanzou asked, and at seeing the blank gaze on the young messenger's face, he decided to enlighten the boy, "The Kyuubi no Youko is now sealed inside that child you are holding right now."

Tatsuo's eyes widened, before narrowing. "Impossible," he whispered.

Kanzou shook his head. "No, it is very much possible. Our Hokage is…was…an amazing shinobi."

Saddened eyes lowered at the council member's words. "So he's…he's really gone?"

"Yes. Konoha has suffered a greater loss than it can ever imagine." A pause, then, "And so that is why we must assure that his legacy is kept in the best of care."

Tatsuo's gaze lifted and Kanzou motioned to little Naruto lying contentedly asleep in the messenger's secure hold. "As I said, that child is no ordinary child. Not any longer. He has the Kyuubi inside him, and as much as I respect our late Hokage, we are not fully aware of the seal's limits. There may be side effects-"

"The Hokage wouldn't do anything to harm his own ch-"

"_The Hokage_ was in a tight situation! Desperation can force people to take risks."

The messenger fell silent.

Kanzou sighed tiredly, as if explaining all this was severely taxing him. "It is not just for the village's safety, but also for the child himself. We can take appropriate measures to suppress the monster inside him, measures that you cannot possibly provide." Wise eyes bore into the messenger's own. "What if you were to raise the child yourself and he one day lost control? Do you really believe the Yondaime would have wanted that for his only son?"

Tatsuo opened his mouth to retort, but found that no words came out. What would happen if Naruto one day lost control? All just because he was stupid enough to believe that he could take care of the boy. And the Yondaime loved this village so much. If there was a heaven, and if he was watching over, how would he feel to see his son be its destructor?

A hand rested on his shoulder and it was only then that Tatsuo realized that, some time in his pondering, the council member had stepped in front of him. "He would understand that the choice you made was for the best."

And as his eyes dropped and he gently unclenched Naruto's little fist from his shirt, he did not see the spark of smug triumph in the council member's eyes. Naruto began to whimper, and so Tatsuo stroked his chubby little hand, the tiny fingers curling tightly around his much larger thumb. Kanzou stepped closer forward to retrieve the child from his arms, and Naruto's whimpers turned to cries as he refused to let go of the young messenger's thumb.

Tatsuo's heart ached as he shakily unwrapped Naruto's baby fingers, until just one tiny little index remained.

And it was on that day that Tatsuo made the worst decision of his life…

…and let go.

**-LineBreak-**

_--Present Day--_

Dark, ebony eyes glanced over the scroll and the intricate patterns imprinted on its white surface. It was some kind of seal. He knew that much at least. And had he be given even one more week, he was sure he would've been able to unlock its hidden secrets.

Pale fingers skimmed over the characters surrounding the large, centre swirl, his eyes silently admiring the impressive craftsmanship. It was the most complicated seal he had ever encountered, and the scholar in him itched to study it, to extract it apart character by character and learn its inner workings, its uses. What could such a beautiful seal be used for?

Oh well, he supposed he would find out soon enough. It would of course be a shame that he hadn't been the one to make the discovery himself, but knowledge was knowledge and he was accepting of all kinds.

Sasuke sighed, rolling up the scroll and stuffing it into his pack, along with the other documents and scrolls that he had acquired within the past couple of days on his trips to research Konoha's Ultimate Defense. Considering how Orochimaru was taking a head-on approach and calling a trade-off in return for the Hokage's life, he supposed his job here was done. It had been surprising, to say the least, finding out what was going on from a couple of loudmouthed council members who clearly did not know a single thing about the first rules of maintaining secrecy around ninjas.

Personally, he found the method Orochimaru was taking quite crude, not to mention risky. He could name a couple of hundred things that could possibly go wrong off the top of his head, but if the Sannin wanted to risk his own scaly hide then it certainly wasn't Sasuke's problem.

Truthfully, a part of him was relieved that this mission was almost over. His time in Konoha had been…different…from his other missions, inciting a turbulence of emotions that, frankly, unnerved him. When he was little, he had been raised with high standards in mind. His studies were to be his sole focus, and there was no such thing as play time or a rest break. His father had been the ever perfect monarch of the family – strict and stern and a man of few to none words. He supposed he had been familiar with emotion then, whenever his mother would smile at him and pat him on the head before he left for school, or when he would trip and scrape his knee, the pain too sharp and the blood too much that it would require a magical healing kiss before it started to feel better. But his mother was not who he wanted so desperately to impress. And so he strived with all his little heart to become as cool, calm and emotionally distant as his father, so he could for once see a look or even a glimmer of pride directed his way.

After that chapter of his life had ended, he had been brought up in the company of Orochimaru and his henchmen. By that time, he had only one goal in mind, and anything that did not involve gaining power in order to kill _him_ had no room in life. Emotion had all too easily faded into a distant memory, and he made no effort to correct it. He had been comfortable. Everything had made sense.

But then this mission happened. And Naruto happened. And then…_emotion_.

He didn't want it. He really didn't. But Naruto was like a persistent storm, like a flurry of rain and wind and crashing thunder, and he…he was the house in the midst of it. And he tried to stop it, he really did. But what can you do when the branch of a tree crashes through the window and the roof caves in and you're left with nothing but the flooding of water at your feet and the gale at your back?

They had shared one kiss, just one, and that had left him wanting – _needing_ – more, and the notion, the simple _thought_, that he would _need_ anything had shaken him to the very core. He had always treated sex with the same cool detachment that he applied to everything else. His adolescence had seen him bedding women close at hand. They hadn't needed to be extravagant, being chosen more so for their convenience than their looks. Relations always lasted only a night and were never repeated again in order to minimize possible attachment. So the fact that that kiss, which had absolutely no reason to happen, had left him feeling so satisfied and yet so _un_satisfied…god, he couldn't even understand himself!

And as Naruto had walked out of that room earlier that day, his face somber, Sasuke had felt an uncomfortable ache in his chest. _What happened? Who put that expression on your face?_ And as Naruto finished sending off his messenger birds, and had turned around to politely excuse himself from Sasuke's presence, Sasuke had felt a fiery surge of anger. _Don't talk to me with such detachment in your voice._

He hated the changes in him, the changes that Naruto was putting in him. And so he was glad to be leaving, glad to finally be going away from all this – this _craziness!_ He had to, because…because otherwise he'd lose himself, and what scared him the most was the fact that a part of him…_wanted_ to.

So he was leaving. He had sent a messenger bird out to Orochimaru informing him that he would be leaving Konohagakure that very night. It would all be over soon.

The sound of soft, approaching footsteps alerted Sasuke and he promptly closed his pack, pushing it under his bed and quickly performing a genjutsu as a safety measure. A few seconds later, the door was opened and Naruto entered the room, a thoughtful expression on his face. Sasuke watched silently as the blond walked past him without showing any sign of having at all registered Sasuke's presence. Naruto headed into the kitchen, and Sasuke heard the gentle clinking of glass, followed by the whistling of the kettle and then the pouring of liquid.

"You want some tea?"

Sasuke blinked. It was the first time Naruto had said anything to him that wasn't absolutely necessary or painfully polite since their fight the other day. "Uh, sure."

More clinking and more pouring, before Naruto emerged from the kitchen, two steaming mugs in hand. He placed one in front of Sasuke, then moved to sit across the table, his own mug cradled in his hands as he took slow, little sips, his eyes focused on the table in front of him. Sasuke picked up his own mug, taking a while to enjoy the comfortable warmth seeping into his palms before bringing it up to his lips. The taste was exactly the way he liked it – strong and bitter – and it pleased him that Naruto knew how to prepare his drink so perfectly. He cringed inwardly as realized his thoughts were once again focused on Naruto. _Tonight. Just until tonight._

"When you said…"

Sasuke looked up.

Naruto licked his lips, his eyes still aimed downwards as he continued, "When you said that your clan was…murdered…who was it that did it?"

Sasuke felt his body tense as he registered the question. What had brought this up? "It was a rogue nin," he answered stiffly, "I don't remember much more than that."

"Do you hate them?" Naruto's voice was soft. "Do you hate them for what they did to you?"

Sasuke frowned. "Yes, I hate them. They took my family away from me. How could I not hate them?"

"If you met them again, would you want revenge?"

Now he was definitely curious as to where this was going. "Of course. My family need to be avenged. My mother, my father, my clan…I need to restore their honour."

"How far would you go to achieve that?"

Sasuke's jaw clenched, and he felt memories – long locked away – resurface. Memories and its accompanying images. Images of silent halls and blood and unresponsive faces. "As far as it takes," he growled lowly, "I'm willing to do anything."

"Anything. Huh." A momentary silence. Then, "It must hurt, huh?"

Sasuke snapped himself from his thoughts, his eyes narrowing questioningly at the blond in front of him. "What?"

The faint tap of mug meeting table top. "It must hurt, the fact that he left only you alive," blue eyes raised to meet black, "The fact that he was your own flesh and blood."

Sasuke turned rigid and his eyes flashed steel. "What did you say?"

Naruto's face was devoid of emotion as he spoke, his tone light. "Do you know the one thing about shadow clones? The one reason why they're not used for undercover missions? It's because, although they're able to copy your chakra channels, they're unable to imitate your simplest of body functions." His blue eyes remained locked on Sasuke's as he brushed a hand across the bronze skin of his left arm. "Like the production of sweat." The hand trailed down to rest on the black fabric covering his own stomach. "The digestion of food." Moving up to stop at the left of his chest. "The beating of a heart."

And for a moment, Sasuke stopped breathing.

_**Over his abdomen. Fingers splayed. Palms flat. Going up. Up. Up. Until it lay over the left of his chest.**_

'_No.' _The sound of shattering porcelain rang through the air, followed by a crash as a chair toppled loudly onto its back, and Sasuke was on his feet, his hands clenched at his sides as he fought to steady his breathing.

Cobalt eyes narrowed almost scornfully up at the Uchiha. "Suna?" A harsh laugh. "Did you really think that Gaara wouldn't check that up the moment he failed to recognize you as any of his own?"

"How long?" Sasuke whispered.

Naruto's lips thinned, and for a moment, Sasuke thought he saw a flash of sadness in those blue eyes. "Long." The blond reached a hand into his vest, withdrawing something before flinging it onto the table between them. And it was only as the object slowly rolled to a stop that Sasuke realized what it was.

It was a scroll. A beautiful, ornate scroll preserved in such perfect condition that it must have been locked away, airtight somewhere. Somewhere like a box. A beautiful, ornate box made out of pure, high-quality gold with the design of a growling nine-tailed fox etched on the top lid. A box situated in the Sandaime's personal records chamber.

"This was what you were looking for, wasn't it?" Naruto asked, gesturing towards the scroll, though it was obvious that he already knew the answer. "I spent most mornings in that records chamber, Sasuke. Placed a seal on the entrance that memorizes foreign chakras." His brows furrowed into a frown. "I can't say that I was surprised to find that you visited."

Sasuke felt his breathing turn shallow, the sound of it drowning out his furiously beating heart.

Naruto glanced away and snorted. "And you called _me_ a coward," blue eyes caught black once more, "When you're the one sneaking around in the middle of the night while everyone's asleep."

Sasuke growled, and it took all of one second for him to propel himself across the width of the table. Naruto tumbled off the chair and before he knew it found himself flat on the floor, Sasuke straddling him, and a hard fist headed straight for his face. He jerked his head to the side and felt the faint tickle as it barely brushed his cheek, felt the ripple of vibrations underneath his neck from the strength of its impact with the floor.

And as that fist pulled back to have another go, Naruto yanked up his own hand, his tan fingers closing over the pale knuckles and stopping its descent mere inches from his face. "Why are you so angry, Sasuke? Huh? Uchiha Sasuke of the long-famed Uchiha clan." Eyes of the darkest obsidian narrowed, and sapphire-blue stared challengingly back. "Your clan was known throughout all of Lightning Country for being the best of hired-assasins, though it held no allegiance to any ninja village. Strange, isn't it, how such a strong clan could just suddenly be wiped out, blown up in flames? They say that only an Uchiha could have done it." Voice lowered. "They say it was one of the sons of the nobler branches."

Sasuke jerked his hand out of Naruto's own, drawing himself back out of muted shock as he stared down at Naruto's calm face, the cold blue eyes. "I've done my research, Sasuke. Keep you friends close, keep your enemies closer, you know? I know everything about you. I know that your neck tenses when you're surprised. I know that your jaw clenches when you're annoyed. I know that when you curl your fingers into fists, its to feel the pain of your nails digging into your skin so that you can feel grounded from whatever memory you're experiencing." A tan hand snaked up to press firmly against his chest, warm breath against his ear. "And I know your heart rates speeds up like so everytime I touch you."

Sasuke swiped the hand away, pushing Naruto back as he scrambled off the blond, feeling strangely naked even though he was still fully clothed. Naruto slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, an eyebrow raised mockingly as he tilted his head to the side. "What? Did you really think that you were the only one watching? The only one observing?"

Sasuke unconsciously took a step back, unaware of his own actions over the tumultuous beating of his heart.

Naruto calmly got up on his feet, his eyes never once leaving the Uchiha's. "I've met your brother, Sasuke. He's a ruthless, fucked up asshole who cares only for himself. Only for power. Not giving a shit if he destroys anyone else's life in the process. And you know something?" Blue eyes flashed and his voice was bitter. "You're a lot like him in more ways than one."

"No!" And before that word even had the time to dissipate into the air between them, Naruto found himself cringing at the sharp pain shooting up his spine as he was pushed against the wall, his wrists locked at either side of his head by pale, gripping fingers. Sasuke's eyes were spinning red, the tomoes whirling madly, egged on by his fluctuating emotions. "Don't…" And his voice was pained, anguished. "Don't say that!"

Naruto's eyes were cool and emotionless as he stared back unflinchingly. "Why not? It's the truth." And Sasuke felt his chest ache at the detached tone. Those eyes…those eyes were so painfully familiar.

They looked like his own.

"That's not…" his voice broke off, choked, softening until it was whispered against the soft, tanned skin of Naruto's neck. "That's not true."

"You know it is. You're one of Orochimaru's cronies. How many people have you killed, Sasuke? How many lives, how many families have you destroyed?" The words were like barbs, thorns against his ears. "How many selfish decisions have you made just so you could obtain the power to get to _him_?"

And Sasuke felt the strength leave his body. It was true. Naruto was right. How many people had he killed? How many families had he destroyed? How many children had he left parentless? He was…he was really no better than his brother. In his anger he had turned…he had turned into a ruthless murderer.

"Sasuke, if you wanted to be better than him, to be _different_ than him, you wouldn't be doing this. There are ways, Sasuke. Better ways." The words were soft, lulling. Soothing his fragile consciousness. "You don't have to be like this. Leave Orochimaru, Sasuke. You're stronger than that. Find a different way." Gentle. Like feather-soft kisses across his skin. "Don't be like him."

And at that moment, Sasuke felt his mind fragment, implode in on itself in a wave of memories and feelings and unwanted thoughts. Who had he been? What monster had he turned himself into? Had he become just like his brother? But the him of the past, the him before he became this pool of mess and confusion that this mission had turned him into, the cool, emotionless him who was so sure of where he was going…he was an avenger! What he was doing, it was to avenge his clan! And then him, another him, so long buried, so long ignored…they…mother, father…they wouldn't be proud of what he'd become. What was he? Who was he? Oh god…it all hurt so much…

_Aniki…why did you have to kill them?_

And Sasuke curled in on himself, staggering backwards, away from the only person who had the ability to make him doubt himself, who had the ability to make him _want_ to change. He felt hands clutch his head (_god…it hurt so much!_) and it was a few seconds before he realized that they were his own. He faltered, stumbled, hands sliding against the walls as they searched for purchase, for grip, for anything that would keep him from falling. And as he righted himself, he felt anger, confusion, pain overwhelm his senses until they were clouded beyond reason. And all that was left was the _need_…_the need to…to…_

Naruto watched as Sasuke stumbled away from him, fingers gripping his dark hair like he wanted to tear it all out by the roots. He watched as Sasuke straightened up, and all seemed calm for the smallest of seconds before a pale fist was brought up to crash brutally into the wall, small debris crumbling to the floor. Sasuke's head was down, his face obscured in the shadows wrought by his own dark bangs as he whispered, "I…can't…"_ Think…I can't…_

Naruto felt the strength leave his body and a strange numbness overcome him. "So you can't…you won't…" And then fury – fury as his blood heated and boiled. He stiffened, his voice hard as he spoke. "Fine."

And Sasuke looked up at the chilling tone, his eyes locked on the blond in front of him.

Naruto straightened, his eyes glinting strangely as he splayed his arms out, palms up in defeat. "So…the jig is up. You win, you bastard. You wanted Konoha's all-mighty great defense mechanism, didn't you? Well here you go." And Sasuke watched, entranced, as the blond slid off his vest and pulled off his shirt, throwing both to the ground, exposing a smooth expanse of honey-brown skin. And in the very centre, imprinted on the toned abdomen, was a glorious seal. A seal so intricately woven, so masterfully created, so painfully _familiar_.

A seal that Sasuke had been admiring not half an hour before on white parchment.

And for some reason, all that Sasuke could think of was how much better it looked when contrasted against such flawless, tanned skin.

Naruto's chin lifted, raging emotions flickering across his eyes for the whole world to see. "Do you get it now? It was me all along." His tone was harsh, daring Sasuke to take the first step, to throw the first punch. "What you've been so painstakingly searching for. It was under your nose the entire time, you fucking bastard! Does it anger you, huh? Does it make you furious? That you didn't have to go through all this shi-"

And that was as far as Naruto was able to get as hard lips crashed into his.

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

I know. I'm a completely horrible person! How dare I leave you guys chapterless for so long! And when I do update, what's the first thing I do? Give you a huge-as flashback that lasted more than half the chapter! I'm sorry guys, and I know that most of you probably don't give a damn what happens some two decades ago in the story, but it's a vital part of Naruto's background and it had to happen. There will be some SasuNaru lovin' around the corner.

Um…sorry again for leaving you guys hanging. And special thanks to **JD01** for kicking my procrastinating butt into gear! Thank you for all you guys who reviewed oh so long ago, I appreciate every single one (just because I didn't update for ages doesn't mean I don't!). I love you all! Well, whatever readers I have left anyway…

I apologize if this chapter isn't up to par with the previous chapters. Major case of writer's block popped up and I had to manually push through it (like driving through a storm, I swear) so my paragraphs might not run as smoothly as I had hoped. Yeah, I'll just shut up now.

**Anyways, please review and tell me how you liked the chapter! Criticism is welcomed as I'm always up for ways to improve. If you spot a grammar or spelling booboo, please tell me so I can fix it, 'cause I really hate those.**

And yes, there will be a lemon in the next chapter. All of you people who are grumpy at me for updating late can take pleasure in the fact that I am literally quaking in my boots. No, seriously, I am.

Here are the replies to the reviews that I couldn't contact directly:

_**ddd**_: Oh gosh, I really hope that you're still reading my story! I really cherish the fact that you've managed to review every single chapter so far (yes, I am keeping track), so thank you so much you amazing person you!

**Please review! I love all reviewers. They make me so very happy!**

- Nine1991 -


	14. Decisions

**Author's Note:** -waves- Hello! Still remember me? Yes, I'm the idiot author who left you guys without an update for 4 months! You know, I'm not even going to hiding from your hostility, because I know I deserve it. Rotten fruit? Sharpened pitchforks? Bring it on!!!

**Warning:** YAOI, some swearing, suggestive content, **LEMON** (Yes, people, finally! Oh mother, I now not only officially read gay porn, but I also write it. Forgive me!)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

_**Bold and Italics =**_ flashbacks

**The Art of Fabrication (cont.)**

**("TAoF" – JD01)**

By: Nine1991

Chapter 14: Decisions

_*Twelve years earlier*_

His young ears picked the echo of footsteps – two people, perhaps three – approaching steadily closer, and blue eyes turned to the heavy, steel door as the footsteps came to a stop and the soft, clinking sound of keys drifted from the other side. The door handle jiggled, then three loud clicks – metal bolts sliding smoothly out of their brackets – before the door was swung wide open to allow the entry of two men.

Both were dressed in dark, flowing garbs; the material billowing behind them as they walked. The first man possessed a face so severely stained with the signs of age that the myriad of grooves and wrinkles on his face seemed purposeful, as if they had been placed there solely to enhance the cool, dispassionate expression on his face. The second followed loyally not two steps behind, head bowed slightly, clipboard and pen in hand.

His eyes flickered to the open doorway, catching the briefest glimpse of grey, stone wall before the door clicked firmly shut.

Stone. He must be underground then. A dungeon perhaps. He wondered how far down…?

They had always blindfolded him when they took him above ground. As a safety measure, they said. A precaution. To protect him, they insisted, although he wasn't sure what exactly he was being protected from. And by the time he was allowed to see again, he'd be out in the open, amongst the trees and the grass and the delightfully refreshing air.

And then he'd catch the scent of copper, brought along by the breeze. And then there'd be people. So many people. People with mean expressions on their faces and shiny metal objects in their hands that glinted menacingly. And then…

…nothing.

He'd wake up and find himself back in his room, and would have doubted any of it had happened at all if it weren't for that same smell of nauseating copper that clung to him like a second skin.

The boy stood up from his bed as the first man stopped in front of him, his little face angled slightly downwards in an empty display of respect that had long since been ingrained.

"Off." The man's voice was curt, short. It was a voice that expected immediate obedience. The boy slipped his shirt off over his head without the slightest hint of hesitation. He stood there, the upper half of his skinny body bare, unable to stop his back from hunching slightly in an instinctual urge to cover himself. The man circled him slowly, cold, assessing eyes running up and down his form. Every now and then a bony hand would reach out to poke and prod, to measure the width of his arms and legs, fingers applying clinical pressure over his ribs and tummy. He couldn't stop himself from flinching when a cold hand was placed on either side of his face and his eyelids were pulled back so the man could look into his bright blue eyes.

It was a while before the man was finally satisfied with his examination and stepped back. He turned to the second man, who had stood back by the wall, his voice low as he said, "More calcium. More protein." The second man nodded before bending down to scribble something onto the clipboard in his hand.

"Put your shirt on."

The boy hurriedly grabbed the piece of clothing from where it had been thrown on the bed, fumbling as he slipped it over his head, unable to hide the look of relief on his face as the material hid his body once more.

"How long did it take with Kumogakure?" he heard the first man ask the second, and there was the soft rustling of paper before the reply.

"One hour, twenty-four minutes, thirty-three seconds. Body count, two hundred and forty-one."

He had no idea what those funny numbers meant. Were they about him?

"It will get better."

"Yes, sir. I believe so."

There was the sliding sound of wood against wood, and the boy glanced up to see that the first man had seated himself on the only chair in the room, a hand on each knee, both eyes aimed straight at him. The boy jumped, surprised, eyes averting back to the floor.

"Youko."

"Hai." He knew better than to not reply.

"You know why you are here."

Was he supposed to answer? Was that a question? "Hai."

"You know that we saved you, raised you, gave you food and shelter and a place to call home."

"Hai." He knew, of course he knew.

"You know how much you owe the village. You know what is expected of you."

"Hai."

"Tell me."

The boy took a deep breath, his little heart racing. He could picture the words in his mind, embroidered in gold as they were on the large plaque embedded in the wall behind him. It served as the only ornament in the room, and he had spent many a day staring at it for lack of anything better to do. It didn't matter that he couldn't see it now. He could recite it backwards with his eyes closed.

"I must obey all orders issued by the council and the Hokage."

He lifted his chin, both eyes raising resolutely.

"I must not harm any citizens of Konoha, unless stated otherwise by the council or the Hokage.

His voice strengthened, leveling until there wasn't a single hint of wavering.

"I must protect the Hokage and the members of the council, even at the cost of death."

Back straight, shoulders down.

"I must place the village's safety before my own, even at the cost of death."

Hands unclenching. Relaxing.

"I must protect all citizens of Konoha, even at the cost of death."

The man's eyes narrowed, focusing on those young, determined ones as if analyzing. Scrutinizing. Then, as if satisfied with what he saw, he nodded curtly. "Again. Louder."

The boy took another deep breath, opened his mouth, and continued to recite.

**-LineBreak-**

_*Present Day*_

Hot. It was all so very hot. He felt his lips heat up, felt them burn, and for a split second he was reminded of when he was young and foolish and learning his first fire jutsu. He remembered how his small hands had flown confidently through the hand signs, so proud that he could perfectly replicate the pattern after only having seen it once, only to be disappointed when all he could produce was an ephemeral wisp of smoke. He had persevered though, tried and tried again until the skin around his lips had blistered painfully from the scalding heat.

Blistering like they were now.

They were, right? It all felt so hot, so they must be.

He was staggering. His head had ached so badly, like his brain was being pierced by a thousand kunais, over and over again. And the only thing that had registered were Naruto's words – echoing, taunting, bouncing off the walls of his skull until they reached one deafening crescendo. A crescendo that _hurt_. He felt like tearing open his own skull, wanted the pain to go away even if he had to physically wrench it out himself. And the _voices_, oh _god_, so many voices. He couldn't hear himself think. Couldn't. Not over Naruto's voice. Not over his own voice. His own _voices_.

Was he going insane?

And then he had looked up at Naruto, at the person who was causing him all this pain, and it had all…stopped. No more sounds. No more voices. Blissful, blissful silence. His other senses thrown into such sharp clarity that he felt a sudden surge of wonderment at all the things he'd missed just from _listening_ too much. Like the bright sunshine yellow of Naruto's hair, so soft-looking. And the heated intensity of Naruto's eyes, like angry, blue flames (_Angry? Why was he angry?_). The soft curve of his nose and the flushed hue of his cheeks. The gentle curve of pink lips that were stretched harshly, running a mile a minute.

And then Naruto was moving – _why was he moving?_ – and Sasuke was greeted by smooth bronze skin, couldn't help it as his eyes traced the lean expanse of muscle and sinew, faintly noting the intricate markings on the blond's abdomen – _ignoring the nagging voice in his mind that said it was important. Why was it important?_ – and only thinking that it looked good there, that it suited him.

And then his eyes were drawn back up – _up and up_ – inexplicably to those lips again. They were still _moving_. _Why?_

_He didn't want that._

And so, before he knew it, he was the one moving. Bodily. Across the space that separated them. Barely taking in the surprised widening of Naruto's eyes as he pressed his lips against Naruto's own, stopping the flow of words mid-sentence, cobalt blue locked against onyx black in a tense impasse.

Neither moved. Lips simply pressed tightly against the other. Their faces so close that Sasuke could count the short, fair lashes framing those wide, blue eyes laced with confusion. And that was when clarity shattered. All of a sudden he was bombarded by _noise_, and nothing was louder than the quickening of their breaths and the thunderous roaring of his own heart as it fought to make its way out of his chest.

_What the hell was he doing?_

So he pulled away, or at least tried to, only to find his retreat obstructed by two hands fisting his shirt before he found himself being pulled roughly forwards. Lips crashed and reason disappeared.

And here he was now, his lips burning, a rapid heat building low in the pit of his stomach as his hands buried themselves deep within Naruto's hair.

He was right. They _were_ soft.

He gave a firm yank as he angled the blond's face slightly, enabling him to get closer, _deeper_. He was encouraged by a soft groan from his partner, his efforts fueled as he pushed harder against the parted lips connected to his. Tongues clashed and fought; a fierce battle for dominance as Naruto showed that he could give as good as he got and more. Sasuke reveled in the surge of power he felt as he pushed his way in and plundered the open and willing orifice, taking satisfaction in the breathless moan he received signaling Naruto's temporary submission.

_Want…so much want…_

Those lips began to pull away from his exploration, and he would have protested violently if they hadn't immediately veered to lay short, brief kisses along his chin and down the soft, vulnerable skin of his neck. A hand traveled down his side before slipping underneath the fabric of his standard-issue shirt, warm fingers acquainting themselves with the firm muscles of his abdomen as another hand tugged on his collar to reveal his pale collarbone. A moist kiss was placed on the juncture of his neck and shoulder, before hot lips enclosed around the spot and _sucked_.

Sasuke growled, a fresh wave of carnal desire flooding his senses as sparks of pleasure tingled down his spine. His hands moved to encase Naruto's slim waist, his grip tight enough to leave bruises as he maneuvered them both in the direction of the dining table. Naruto grunted as his hip collided against something hard, removing his mouth from Sasuke's neck as he looked around dazedly at their new position. With a sweep of his arm, Sasuke managed to clear the once occupied surface, scrolls and papers falling to the floor unnoticed. Before Naruto knew it, he was being picked up and settled on the table.

They looked at each other. Sasuke noticed how Naruto's eyes, normally a bright cobalt blue, had darkened to a deep sapphire, pupils so widely dilated that they almost eclipsed the irises. He took in their mutual ragged breathing, his own pounding heart, and for a moment he fancied that he even heard the faint thumping of Naruto's own rapid rhythm.

_Rapid like his. The same._

He couldn't help himself as he pushed forward to reclaim those lips, the kiss deepening substantially as Naruto eagerly responded. It was anything but gentle, the impact harsh enough to bruise the tender skin, but the pain only seemed to act as a stimulant, goading them on. To push _further_. To delve _deeper_. Hands were trailing up his body, pushing up his shirt in blatant request.

_More. Please._

He tore himself away from that eager mouth, panting like he'd been running a marathon. Gathering his breath, his eyes ran up and down the body in front of him, taking in the lust-glazed eyes, the bruised and swollen lips, the quick rise and fall of his partner's chest. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, silently appreciating the contrast in their skin tones, before firmly pressing the blond back onto the table so that all that smooth golden-bronze skin was splayed out for him to see.

_Like an offering. He will partake._

Grabbing the hem of his shirt, he pulled it swiftly over his head. But apparently it wasn't swift enough as tan hands once more found their way to his body, picking up on their curious exploration of the planes of his abdomen, the defined muscles of his pectorals, up to brush across the gentle rise of his nipples. Sasuke hissed, yanking off the shirt and throwing it to the side. He grabbed Naruto's wrists, one in each hand, noticing the confusion in those dark blue eyes as he forcefully pressed the blond back down until he was once again lying on the table. Sasuke pulled himself back, hands moving to quickly divest himself of his pants and underwear, only to have his breath hitch in his throat as twin hands snaked around his neck and a soft kiss was placed on his temple. He took a deep, shuddering breath, pushing down his pants and underwear off his hips and kicking them away before turning to his impatient lover.

He untangled the arms from around his neck, placing a hand on the blond's chest and roughly shoved him down, this time pinning him to the table. Naruto struggled against the firm hold and glared up at him, blue eyes narrowed dangerously. Then they suddenly softened, his heated gaze never leaving Sasuke's as he took hold of the pale hand pinning him down and brought it slowly up to his lips. Sasuke was entranced as he watched the blond place a soft kiss on his fingers, before taking one and then two into his mouth and sucking gently. The sight hit him like a punch to the gut, making his breath come in uneven gasps. A flare of triumph flashed in those blue orbs, and Sasuke couldn't hold himself back any longer as he pulled his fingers away from those delectable lips and aligned his naked hips with Naruto's clothed ones, _grinding _downas he sought and claimed the kiss-bruised lips in front of him, muffling the blond's surprised cry at his sudden actions.

They moved together, bodies pressed so tightly that what little air lay between them heated to a suffocating degree, their skins slick with sweat, allowing them to glide against each other, easing their mutual movements. Lips pressed together brutally in harsh, biting kisses that robbed them both of their breaths, leaving them gasping. One of Naruto's hands was buried in the dark mop that was Sasuke's hair, pulling him down closer, while the other smoothed over the muscled planes of Sasuke's back, occasionally drawing angry, pink nail marks across the pale skin every time Sasuke pushed down in a particularly rough grind. Legs encased in standard Jounin pants drew themselves up to wrap tightly around pale hips, helping them press yet even closer, and Sasuke grunted into their connected lips as he felt the increased friction on his swollen arousal.

A fierce heat was coiling in the pit of his stomach, but it wasn't enough. He wanted more. _Needed_ more. But even through his muddled consciousness he was aware that he couldn't go further on this table. He needed a surface that was…softer…

He forced himself to pull back, receiving a sharp nip to his bottom lip in mild reproach. Wrapping his arms underneath Naruto's warm back, he pulled the blond up and off the table, the legs around his hips locking firmly behind him, and Naruto redirected his attention to the side of Sasuke's neck, biting and sucking until deep purple bruises blossomed on the fair skin. Moving away from the table with Naruto in his arms, Sasuke crossed the room on shaky legs, barely reaching his makeshift bed before releasing the blond and allowing him to fall onto the mattress. Naruto propped himself up on his elbows, looking at Sasuke with lust-glazed eyes, tongue peeking out to swipe across dry lips caused by his heavy breathing. Sasuke's eyes zeroed in on the action, subconsciously doing the same.

His hands fell to undo the pants sitting on narrow, tanned hips, fumbling with the buttons and just barely stopping himself from ripping apart the fabric all together.

"Sasuke…" A breathy sigh.

His hands faltered for the shortest of seconds. He didn't dare look up, didn't dare to meet the blue eyes that he knew saw deep into his very soul.

He didn't want reason to return.

Hands picked up speed, finally giving up on the buttons as he grabbed and _tore_. There was the gentle _ping_ of a flying button and Naruto bucked a little as his pants, along with his underwear, was yanked forcibly off his legs, the clothing thrown to side, landing heaven-knows-where. Sasuke took a shuddering breath, his eyes hungrily taking in the sight before him – the lust-hazed eyes, the pink parted lips, down the smooth plane of taut bronze skin to the tightly muscled thighs lying on either side of him and the jutting arousal situated in between. Sasuke felt the almost unbearable ache in his loins as he noticed its angry-red colour, the pearlescent liquid beading at the tip.

_Want. He had never wanted something so much in his life._

"Sasuke?" A hand reaching out to him. Questioning.

He took that hand into his own, pushing it down into the soft surface above Naruto's golden hair as he claimed those lips in another fierce, drugging kiss, his other hand trailing down the smooth, muscled body to wrap eager fingers around the throbbing organ underneath him. He pumped once, twice, drinking in his partner's delightful moans before moving lower until his fingers brushed across a promising pucker. He knew very little about the act that was sexual intercourse between men, and only had his instincts to guide him. But even what little instincts he had knew that it was too tight, much too tight for what he wanted to do.

He slipped a finger inside, wareful of the slight hitch in his partner's breathing and the way he squirmed at the intrusion. Too turned on for patience, he slipped in another, his lust spiking higher at the tight constriction around his fingers. He gritted his teeth as he worked at loosening the entrance. He was so hard that it _hurt_.

"…suke…just…just do…" A shuddering groan.

Reaching his wit's end, Sasuke withdrew the fingers, aligning himself before placing his hands on either side of Naruto's head and pushing _in_. The blond let out a strangled gasp at the searing pain that raced up and down his spine, biting his lip harshly to muffle any further sounds. It was too soon, much too soon, but neither could wait any longer. Sasuke was panting, the heat and pressure and unbearable friction around his cock so overwhelming that he couldn't help himself as he pulled back and buried himself even deeper inside his partner.

Naruto's back arched at the violent intrusion into his body, the pain so intense that it robbed him of his breath and bathed his vision in white. And yet he wanted more. Needed more.

Sasuke wasted no time in driving himself inside the constricting passage over and over, reaching deeper with every plunge into the warm, writhing body underneath his until one particularly hard thrust drew a lusty cry from Naruto's open lips. Encouraged, he seeked that very same angle, his own pleasure heightened as the action wrenched choked gasps from his partner, blue eyes watery with desire as they stared dazedly up at him. Sasuke grunted, his dark eyes glinting with feral lust as he grabbed those tanned legs and coaxed them higher up around his waist. They tightened instinctively, locking behind him and pulling him closer as he pushed his hips forward, spreading those thighs wide open even as he slammed inside that addictive warmth. Naruto screamed, his eyes clenched tight at the painful pleasure that surged up his spine and spread, like wild fire, throughout his entire body.

Sasuke's hands fell to either side of Naruto's head, caging him as he pushed in deep. Claiming. Plundering. Taking in the sweet, sweet moans and whimpers issued from those pink lips as they gasped for breath and the way tan hands clenched and fisted the white bed covers with every thrust, the grip so tight that the fabric bridged on tearing. The blond's hard, dripping arousal rubbed between their bodies, smearing precum over tan and pale skin alike, but neither seemed to care. All that mattered was prolonging that addictive friction.

Naruto felt the pressure inside him build, felt the knot in the pit of his stomach tighten until his body started to spasm, his head thrown back in a silent scream as hot liquid spilled between their heated bodies. Sasuke grunted at the sudden almost painful constriction around his cock, hiking the still-trembling thighs up onto his shoulders as he forced himself forward, deeper, thrusting a few more times before burying his face into the crook of Naruto's neck, muffling his groan as he released the products of his desire into the shivering body beneath him.

They lay there, gathering their breaths as their heartbeats slowly calmed, tan legs falling bonelessly onto the bed from their original perch on pale shoulders. Sasuke pressed his face into the soft, tender skin of his partner's neck, breathing in the blond's scent.

"Sasuke…"

He lifted his head, looking down into the intense blue eyes that stared back at him, a tan hand reaching up to run gentle fingers across his brows, nose, lips and chin before tenderly cupping the side of his face.

"Sasuke…"

And for just a moment, he thought he saw a glimpse of sadness in those eyes.

He lowered his face, pressing a slow, drugging kiss to those lips that uttered his name. A familiar heat began to coil in his loins once more, and he diverted his attention to the soft skin of his lover's neck, inhaling the young man's scent, allowing it to draw his attention away from the ever present reality and the things that were to come. Away from sense. Away from logic. Away from responsibilities.

_Naru…Naruto…_

Their bodies began to move a second time, continuing their sensuous dance.

The soft creaking of a bed and their mutual sounds of pleasure rang through most of the night.

**-LineBreak-**

The village was dark, and yet the loud call of a rooster signaled the approaching of dawn. The thin sliver of light upon the horizon pushed the dark figure to double his speed, jumping from roof to window ledge, window ledge to roof. Always within the safe cover of shadows.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the village, he paused, scanning the surrounding area for any sign of approaching guards on their daily rounds. Confident that all was clear, he took off at a run, using the momentum to scale the high wall surrounding the village with ease, landing in a silent crouch on the other side. He stilled, listening for any sounds that would signal that he had been spotted. When none came, he hurried onwards, taking to the trees, jumping from branch to branch in the direction that would lead to his destination.

It didn't take long for him to reach the clearing. As he stepped forward into the open space, a form silently materialized from the shadows of the trees opposite. A tall form. With long, dark hair and a ghastly complexion. With yellow eyes reminiscent of a snake's.

"You're late." The voice, more a hiss than anything, seemed to ooze poison from every word.

A second form appeared not far behind the first, moonlight glinting off rounded spectacles. The person made no attempt at sound or movement, merely observing the scene before him with an amiable expression on his face.

"I'm here, aren't I?" The dark figure lowered his hood, taking another step forward. "Your turn."

Orochimaru's lips stretched into something akin to a smile. "Why, of course." He glanced over his shoulder, nodding to the person standing respectfully behind him. Kabuto moved forward, reaching into the folds of his cloak. Withdrawing a small, glass vial, he tossed it in the direction of the newcomer. Agile hands swiped the object from the air. A flash of blood, a loud croak, before the gentle _poof_ of smoke and the vial was no longer in sight.

"Well then, shall we?" Orochimaru asked, gesturing a paper-white hand towards the dark shadows of the forest beyond the clearing. Towards a direction that lead away from Konoha.

The dark figure hoisted his hood back over his head. "Might as well get this over with." He strode forward resolutely, eyes never once straying from the dimly lit path before him. His ears picked the sounds as the two followed behind him.

"Is something wrong, Naruto-kun? You seem to be limping."

Brilliant blue eyes closed for the briefest of moments before opening once more.

"None of your fucking business."

-TBC-

**-LineBreak-**

Hmm…how was it? I'm a little nervous, considering how I haven't written in a very long while and I'm just a bit scared that my writing skills have gotten a little rusty. Please bare with me. And yes, I know that you probably all want to kill me for updating so late. No apology of mine can make up for so long a delay. But please forgive me anyway. Heh heh…note that if you kill me, you won't get the rest of the story. –sheepish laugh–

**Please do tell me what you thought of my first time writing a lemon.** You have no idea how long I agonized over it. Seriously, the first thing I did in preparation for it was go lemon shopping, and I'm not talking about round yellow fruit. I actually went browsing through all the sasunaru lemons I could find – from sweet, sappy ones, to teary, emotional ones, and even to the hardcore PWP – hoping that I could find some inspiration for the type of lemon I wanted to write for my story. Because it had to actually fit with the mood and everything and –throws hands in the air- I'm not even going to talk about it.

**Please review, my beautiful, beautiful readers! **I always love to hear what you have to say. Constructive criticism welcomed, as well as any annoying misspelt words I might have missed. It also helps me know if I haven't lost all my readers due to my delayed updates…

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed in the previous chapter. No words can express the amount of gratitude I feel for my readers taking the time to write a little feedback.**

- Nine1991 -


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